


Long Way Together

by janessmith



Series: He ain't heavy, he's my brother [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Siblings, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-28
Updated: 2013-08-08
Packaged: 2017-11-10 18:20:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 94,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/469263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janessmith/pseuds/janessmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John and Jane survived the accident that killed their parents, but were cruelly separated. Hannah and Frank Shepard found John, the Tenth Street Reds found Jane. As John was molded into a paragon war hero, Jane grew into a no-nonsense problem solver - who solved her problems with her fists. This story follows the events of Mass Effect 3, along with some origins and stuff for good measure. Established M!Shep/Tali, eventual Garrus/Fem Shep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Year: 2160**

_"Do they have names?" The nurse asked, looking down at the two children. They were wrapped in plain grey blankets, clinging to each other desperately._

_"They were the only survivors of the crash. No one in the aircar had papers on them," the cop replied_

_"Well, shit," the nurse said softly, walking out from behind the admitting desk to kneel in front of the two children. The boy - five, maybe six years old, was staring at her, trying to be brave, while the little girl – maybe four – had her face pressed into his chest, red hair dirty and matted with blood. "My name is Kerry. Can you tell me your names?"_

_The little boy scowled suspiciously. "John. And Jane."_

_"Do you know your last name?" Kerry asked._

_"Singer," the little girl sobbed out into John's chest._

_"John and Jane Singer, it's nice to meet you." Kerry turned to the cop. "Maybe they have family somewhere?"_

_"I'll open a report, but unless we can identify the parents, there's not much chance," the cop shrugged, looking guilty. "There are still a lot of refugees on Earth from the war, still. You'd best find a social worker for them. They're going to need to be placed somewhere."_

_"Come on, you two," Kerry held her hand out for the children. Slowly, John put one hand in hers, drawing Jane along with him, and followed the nurse deeper into the hospital._

**Year: 2189**

Hands clenched tightly, Jane stared at the floor beneath her feet.

John was in the mess. She could hear him, laughing and joking around with the crew. Back in basic, it'd really pissed her off, how he was so interested in everyone all the time.

Well. Interested in everyone else, at least.

The asshole  _still_  hadn't come to talk to her. She'd been aboard the Normandy for a day, had even taken the elevator to Deck 1 at least six times. Each time she'd approached the door the ship's AI had turned her away.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but the Commander does not wish to be disturbed."

He'd done little more than give her a nod when he boarded, jaw clenched and eyes angry before storming away.

She let out a pent up breath.

"Lieutenant Singer? The commander has requested a meeting of all ground squad members in the conference room in five minutes."

Jane jumped, startled at the soft feminine voice. EDI. The ship's onboard AI. It would take her some time to get used to that.

"Thanks, EDI," she replied, pushing herself up off her hard cot in Life Support.

John was waiting for the elevator when she emerged from Life Support. She could see the exhaustion in how he held himself, in how his eyes were fixed too intently on the elevator's control panel.

"Hi."

He looked at her, clear blue eyes tired. "Jane," he greeted with a nod, stepping into the elevator when the doors opened.

"John-" Jane reached for his hand, and gasped quietly when he jerked away from her. "The hell, John?"

Wordlessly, her brother stormed out of the elevator, Jane following closely, frowning.

"Commander," Private Westmoreland greeted as the siblings waited tensely to be allowed into the conference room. "Lieutenant."

As they entered the conference room, Jane surveyed the current crew. James Vega and Kaidan Alenko were both present, as was Joker, and EDI's glowing blue eye. James grinned at her, while Kaidan sent her a cool glare.

"We're going to Mars," John began. "To locate Prothean data. I don't have to tell you how important it is that we extract this data before the reapers arrive on Mars. We need every bit of help we can get in this war." He paused, weighted gaze landing on each crewmember individually. "The data is top priority. Understand?"

"Aye aye, sir," James responded.

"James, Kaidan, you'll be with me," John turned to his sister. "Jane… I need you to do what you do best."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "You want me to get you to give me a disciplinary mark on my file? Sure thing. How can I piss you off today?"

The tiniest of grins cracked his stony façade before he looked at her disapprovingly. She laughed dryly. "Scout?"

"Find us the best path to the data," he nodded. "Dismissed. Jane, can I see you privately?"

As the rest of the crew dispersed, Jane hung back, hopping up to sit on the conference table, swinging her legs. Watching her brother as he spoke parting words to the three men, Jane realized how much of an outsider she was. The history between John and Kaidan was battling against Kaidan's distrust of her brother. An easy friendship existed between her brother and James, although it was bordering on idolatry on Jame's part. And Joker… Jane could see how fond her brother was of the brittle pilot, but she wasn't sure if John heard the concern in Joker's voice when he was talking to John.

It made her uncomfortable. She'd always felt uncomfortable, being part of a team. Having people rely on her. Having to rely on people.

She'd rather rely on herself. When she let herself down, it usually didn't result in the death of a friend. Or her entire squad. She closed her eyes, losing herself in memories.

"Jane?" John was speaking to her, an edge of concern to his voice.

"Sorry, Commander," she replied, not quite meeting his eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Commander? Really?" John hopped up on the table beside her.

Slowly, Jane turned to face him. "Look, I'm kind of confused here," she said haltingly. "I'm not really sure why I'm on the Normandy." It wasn't what she'd intended to say, but she had to start somewhere. "I'm not much of a team player."

John shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I remember."

"Is it… John, am I here so you can protect me?"

He faced her directly, and she could see the truth of it in his eyes. "I've failed you so many times, Jane."

She took his hands, shook her head. "Never. Not even once."

He laughed, hollowly. "I shouldn't have ever given up on you."

"You thought I was dead, John," she leaned back slightly. "You didn't give up on me."

John didn't respond right away. "Look, Anderson also let me look at your service records. I know what you've done. And I knew that we could use someone with your skills on the ship. You can help keep us alive out there."

"Shit, John," Jane pushed her shoulder length red hair back impatiently. "I joined special ops specifically so that I wouldn't have a team relying on me."

"Yeah, but it's the end of the galaxy as we know it, so buck up and get over it, sis," John hopped off the table. "Suit up, ETA for Mars is… EDI? What's the ETA to Mars?"

"Twenty minutes, Commander."

"What she said. Go get ready, Jane.," John looked back over his shoulder, and grinned. "You're going in first."


	2. Chapter 2

**Year: 2160**

_“Here you go,” Kerry opened a door into a room with couches. “I’m going to find an orderly who will sit with you until … until we find a place for you to spend the night.”_

_"Thank you,” John replied. His mother had instilled manners in her son._

_“Are you hungry?” Kerry asked, her voice tender._

_John shook his head, fighting the exhaustion that plagued him and glared at Jane who was looking longingly at the vid screen. “Janey? You hungry?”_

_“Can I watch a vid?” Janey whispered. “I wanna watch pictures.”_

_“Of course,” Kerry replied, walking over to the vid screen, and loading up a vid for children. Jane sat down on the floor, too close to the screen, easily distracted by the bright colours._

_John sat down on the couch closest to where his sister was watching the vid screen. “Kerry?” He asked, his voice small._

_“Yes, John?”_

_“My momma is dead, isn’t she?”_

_Kerry’s sharp intake of breath told him everything he needed to know. “Yes, John,” she replied, sitting down next to him on the couch. “Your mom and dad died in the car crash.”_

_John was quiet for a moment, brushing angrily at the tears on his face. “That wasn’t my dad,” John said darkly. “Don’t have a dad.”_

_Kerry’s mouth opened into a small “O” of surprise. “John,” she whispered. “I am so sorry.”_

_John didn’t reply, just resumed watching his sister._

_The door to the lounge opened, a young man stepped inside. “Kerry, we’ve got multiple gunshot wounds coming in, Harris wants you in ER 3.”_

_Kerry looked at the children, conflicted. “I’ll be right there. John, it’s very important that you stay here, OK?” John nodded once. “The orderly will be here soon. Just… don’t move.”_

***

_When John woke up, he was wearing a pair of scratchy pajamas and was tucked into an unfamiliar bed. He didn’t know where he was - didn’t even remember falling asleep._

_John sat up, looking around frantically. The room was a big one, with lots of beds. It was dark outside, but light was spilling in under a door on the far side of the room. Aircar lights illuminated the room, hurting John’s eyes._

_It all came back in a rush. His mother, a nervous smile on her face, reassuring her children strapped in the backseat of the aircar. The flash of bright lights. The terrifying crunch and squeal of metal, a hot spray of blood… Janey screaming for their mom._

_Gasping, John remembered. Janey. They’d been in a room with couches, she was watching a vid, and… He looked in the beds next to him, but didn’t see her._

_“Janey?” He called out, looking for his sister. “Janey?”_

_A nurse walked into the room, a stern look on her face, uniform white and pristine. “Is everything ok in here, young man?” She glanced at the chart at the end of his bed. “John? Are you alright, John?”_

_“Where is my sister?” John yelled, on the brink of tears. The still forms on the beds around him started to shift, some kids sitting up to see what was happening, others rolling over to block out the sound._

_The nurse, startled, looked back at the chart, flipping through the pages. “Sister? There’s no record of a sister here.”_

_“Janey!” John shrieked, tumbling out of the hospital bed, landing hard on his hands and knees.  running to the bed across from his own. The face that stared back at him was unfriendly. A boy._

_He turned back to the nurse. “Where’s my sister? Where’s Janey?”_

_The nurse reached his side, fastening a strong hand on his arm. “John, I’ll ask the nurse who brought you in. I don’t know where your sister is, but we’ll find her.”_

_“You have to help me find her. My momma said I had to protect her!” He wailed, letting the nurse pull him into her arms._

_“We’ll find her, John. We’ll find her.”_

 *** 

**Year: 2186**

John escaped the conference room and his sister’s irritatingly nonjudgmental gaze with feigned nonchalance. Without much thought, he wandered into the Quantum Entanglement Communicator room. After checking to make sure he was alone, John dropped his head into his hands, letting out a long breath.

He had no idea how to act around her. God, he was acting like a stupid, angry teenager. Pushing her away in the elevator like he didn’t even know who she was. Then, like a dumbass, trying to act like everything was normal instead of apologizing for being a dick.

Jane, as usual, had looked right through all his bullshit and had figured it out. The truth. He wanted to protect her. It always seemed to come down to that.

He couldn’t help but want to protect her.

_Damn it._

The fact that Jane was his sister wasn’t common knowledge. John didn’t know exactly how many people knew, but he was fairly sure the numbers were low. There were only four people that he knew were aware: Hannah Shepard, Anderson, Garrus and Tali. 

He’d never bothered asking Jane not to tell anyone, because he’d never felt it necessary. She understood. Both of them knew that if anyone ever got their hands on her, he would give them anything they wanted without hesitation.

She was his goddamned Achilles’ heel.

“Get it together, Shepard,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his hands over his short hair.

Jane had been in the middle of N7 training when John had been named a Spectre. He hadn’t lived to see her graduate. Yesterday was the first time he’d seen her in years.

After his … resurrection, John hadn’t reached out to his family. The short, tersely worded, but wonderfully _Hannah_ message his mom had sent him had warmed his heart, but he hadn’t bothered to reply until a few weeks into his incarceration on earth. Under Cerberus’s watchful eye, John hadn’t even given into the urge to run an extranet search for Jane’s unit, hadn’t mentioned her to anyone, to prevent Cerberus from discovering how important she was to him.

The more time had passed, the harder it had gotten for him to reach out. Asking Anderson for help had seemed like the only option. And now Jane was ensconced in Life Support, and he was scared. Scared of what it would be like to fight along side her, of how he would react if she went down and he couldn’t save her.

Leaning against the comm panel, John considered what he was going to do with her now that she was on his ship. Leaving her to rot in Life Support wasn’t an option, as much as he wanted to order EDI to lock her in there.

It was stupid to let this cripple him and he knew it. She was perfectly capable in battle. Hell, she was more than capable. She was a total bitch with a gun and he’d never known her to pull a punch. Hell, Anderson wouldn’t have assigned her to the Normandy if she weren’t right for the job, regardless of his relationship to her.

“EDI, how much time do I have?”

“Ten minutes, Commander.”

John rode up to his cabin, strapping his armor on quickly, with practiced ease, slinging weapons on his back, into his leg holsters. “Time, EDI?”

“Two minutes, Commander,” EDI replied. “Commander, I have noticed you are often running behind.”

“Yeah, yeah,” John replied, stepping into the elevator. “Did you hold the elevator for me?”

“It would be unseemly for the Commander to arrive late,” EDI replied smugly as the elevator opened to the shuttle bay.

James was leaning against the weapons bench, arms crossed. “Ready, Vega?”

He nodded, eyes bright, face a bit pale. “Oorah, Commander.”

Kaidan was waiting, at ease, next to the Kodiak shuttle. John sent the man an amused glance. The Major _definitely_ needed to get laid. “Ready, Major?”

“We’re just waiting on the new infiltrator,” Kaidan replied.

“No, we aren’t,” John replied. “She’s probably in the shuttle,” he stepped inside, nodding at Jane who was leaning in the corner. Her light, flexible armor was black, recon hood completely obscuring her face. “Seriously, Singer? A sword?”

She shrugged. “It’s really satisfying to kill with. You haven’t lived until you’ve sliced off someone’s head.”

“Great, Shepard. You and Anderson have recruited a psychopath,” Kaidan said dryly.

“Ask Joker to tell you about Jack,” John replied. “Then talk to me about psychopaths.”

James activated the comm. “Joker, you ready to crack her open?”

“You got it, Vega. Don’t ruin the Kodiak on her maiden voyage, ok?”

“Screw you, Joker,” James replied, firing up the shuttle. “Let’s do this.”

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Year: 2160**

_Jane looked around once the vid ended. She was tired, and sore, and she wanted her mom. Tears started to well up in her eyes when she noticed Johnnie on the couch._

_He was sleeping, curled up on his side, some drool escaping out the side of his mouth._

Quiet, Janey, _her mother's voice whispered in her ear._  Johnnie's sleeping.

_Her stomach growled. Jane looked at Johnnie again._

_"Johnnie?" She whispered quietly. "Johnnie, I'm really hungry."_

_He didn't stir, didn't even twitch when she crept to his side._

_"Johnnie," Jane whined, pushing at his arm softly. "I'm hungry."_

_"No! My children! My babies!"_

_Hearing the sobs outside the lounge, Jane spun on her heel. "Mommy?" She whispered in wonder, running to the door of the lounge, freezing before opening it. The nice lady said she was supposed to stay in the room and not move._

_Hearing the woman's sobs again, Jane couldn't help herself. She pushed the door open, peering into the hall cautiously before sneaking out on quiet feet. It didn't take Jane long to find the source of the sobs. The woman was huddled over her knees, sobbing loudly, dark hair obscuring her features._

_"Mommy?" Jane asked, and gasped when the woman's head lifted to reveal a face that wasn't her mother's. Blindly, the woman's eyes crazed with grief, she grabbed Jane, sobbing hysterically into the little girl's hair._

_"My baby! My baby, oh, my baby!" The woman's hands were holding her too tightly to escape. Jane started to struggle in earnest, pushing back at the woman's strong arms._

_"Let me go!" Jane yelled loudly, her mother's voice in her ear._ Janey, if anyone ever grabs you, or tries to take you away from me, you yell. Yell as loud as you can, Janey.

_"Is everything alright here?"_

_Jane suddenly felt relief. An adult was here to save her._ Strangers will hurt you, Janey. Don't trust them unless their job is to protect you.

_The woman, still holding Janey tightly, answered quickly. "I thought I lost her. I thought she died," the woman was still sobbing._

_"Let me go!_ _**"** _ _Jane yelled again. "You're not my mommy!"_

_"Ma'am, maybe you should let her go until we can – "_

_The woman, all but snarling, stood up with Jane held firmly in her arms. "You are not taking my child from me."_

_Jane started fighting in earnest, as the guard stepped closer, and dropped a hand on the woman's arm. "Let her go," the guard ordered, his voice dark and serious._

_The woman jerked her arm back indignantly. "Get away from me."_

_The guard's grip on the woman's arm gave Jane just enough room to slip out of the woman's grasp. The woman cried out as Jane wiggled free, and reached for her, fingers snagging some of Jane's hair._

_With a howl of pain, Jane pulled her hair free from the woman's grasp, leaving several long, red strands behind, before running away without looking back._

* * *

**Year: 2186.**

" _Fuck,"_  Jane growled, sticking her burned index finger in her mouth, scowling at the gnarly tech in front of her.

Her recon hood was a mess. Jane squinted, firing up her omnitool. While scouting out air vents in the Archives Jane and Dr. Liara T'soni had met in a junction in the vents. Their first meeting hadn't been friendly.

T'soni, on the run from Cerberus operatives, in her haste and panic had set off a biotic explosion in Jane's face. The explosion had sent Jane skidding down the vent as T'soni ran away. Jane's shields had protected her from most of the damage, but the explosion had wreaked havoc on her comms.

Liara had apologized when they'd caught up with John, James and Kaiden- Jane's thoughts instantly fled from her irritation with the asari to the wounded sentinel in the Med Bay.

 _Kaidan._  Jane's eyes closed in pain. She'd worked with John to stabilize Kaidan as best they could, both siblings trained as field medics. They'd done what they could, but the Citadel doctors were his only chance.

And now there was a dead AI chassis crumpled on the bed next to Kaidan. Fucked. Up. Jane frowned for a moment, then forced her thoughts back to the damaged recon hood in her hand, and the asari responsible for the damage.

As much as Jane was pissed at the asari for damaging her tech, she was also grateful to her for finding the plans for the Crucible. Jane hadn't seen hope in John's eyes until Liara started talking about the prothean device.

Jane was sitting cross-legged on the floor, ignoring the stink of the soldering iron she'd liberated from the weapons' bench downstairs. She held it carelessly in her hand as she hunched over the hood, attempting to determine the best course of action in the repairs. The Kuwashii HUD upgrade she'd added to her hood was touchy, Ariake tech being utterly incompatible with Kassa Fabrication tech. The Ariake-built Kuwashii upgrade's wiring passed alarmingly close to the Kassa built shield-regen boosts, and the repairs were frustratingly complicated.

Sighing, Jane decided to act on instinct, deftly patching the broken connections. A bead of sweat, starting at her hairline, rolled down the side of her cheek. It was warm in her room, and she unzipped her hoodie, tossing it over the chair. Under the hoodie, Jane was wearing a pair of shorts and a sports bra. When the light finally hit her skin, the medigel she'd haphazardly applied when stripping out of her suit became apparent. As did the reddened skin under the gel.

Tech always came first for her, which was why she was ignoring the burns from Dr. Coré's incinerations and instead fixing her gear. Hood first, due to the shorted HUD, suit next, to patch the burn marks, sword last. Her mononuclear blade rarely needed any servicing, but she smoothed out nicks and sharpened the blade almost obsessively.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Singer?"

Jane jumped, brushing the soldering iron against her calf in surprise. "Ow,  _shit,"_  Jane snapped, putting the soldering iron back in its holder. Scowling, she looked up at the asari standing in the hallway to Life Support.

"I'm sorry I startled you," Liara said unapologetically. "Commander Shepard asked me to clear you and James."

"Clear us?" Jane replied, slathering more medigel onto the new burn on her calf.

"Yes, medically. All squad members must be cleared by medical after all missions," Liara replied calmly. "As we do not currently have a medical doctor on board, the duty has fallen to me."

"What experience do you have treating human wounds? What familiarity do you have with human physiology?" Jane leaned back against her cot, surveying the asari.

Liara flushed slightly, stepping further into Life Support. "I've assisted Dr. Chakwas in the medbay many times-"

"Assisting isn't doctoring. And if I'm not mistaken that was two and a half years ago," Jane replied. "I've had N7 training. I've been trained as a field medic. I say I'm fine. There. We're done. I'm cleared."

"It is against Alliance regulations for an officer or soldier with medical training to clear themselves," Liara replied smugly.

Jane folded her arms across her chest. "Fine, then. Shepard has N7 training, he can clear me."

" _Commander Shepard_  has  _enough_  on his mind, especially considering what happened to Kaidan and doesn't need to worry about some petulant Lieutenant with an attitude problem," Liara snapped back.

"I'm sure that  _the Commander_  will tell me if and when my attitude becomes a problem, Dr. T'soni," Jane laughed, and rolled her eyes, although inwardly she winced, the terrible moment when Dr. Coré slammed Kaidan repeatedly into the side of the Cerberus shuttle before he went suddenly and shockingly still flashing through her mind.

Liara was staring at Jane, a calculating look on her face. "Are you sleeping with him?"

Jane kept her face carefully neutral, not wanting to betray anything that might tip Liara off.

"Oh, you're _sleeping_  with him! I  _knew_  it," Liara accused.

Jane snorted. "Believe me, I'd have sex with a krogan on stims before I'd consent to fuck Commander Shepard."

"What's that human saying? About protesting too much?" Liara scoffed, pointing at Jane in annoyance. "Regardless, your commanding officer gave you an order. I'm fairly certain that you don't need another mark on your disciplinary record."

"One more black mark won't kill me," Jane shrugged, hooking her elbow over the edge of her cot and leaning her head in her hand. "And I have a lot of repair work in front of me because of you." Jane leveled Liara a deadly glare, leaning forward to pick up the soldering iron again. "So if you wouldn't mind leaving me and Frankie alone, I'd be much obliged," Jane returned to her work on her helmet without sparing the asari a second glance.

"Frankie?" Liara questioned, looking around suspiciously. "Lieutenant Singer, there's no one else here."

Jane sighed. "My suit. His name is Frankie. Now leave me alone."

The asari left Life Support, muttering about stubborn, pigheaded xenophobic humans. Jane laughed at being called xenophobe. Really, she was anything but.

Jane finished the repairs on the Kuwashii upgrade, testing out the various functions and connections. "All better," she grinned at the hood, setting it aside and pulling her suit into her lap.

This damage was less difficult to deal with. Wherever the tech fire breached the outer layer of the suit required a patch. Jane's burns twinged, and she sighed, finally admitting to herself that some significant upgrades were needed to her armor.

More biotic protection for her tech, first of all. Liara was a singularly powerful biotic, but Jane liked her tech to be geared for the biggest possible threat. The next thing on her list would be to find a coating or new fabric that had higher levels of protection against fire.

John stormed into Life Support when she was in the midst of her final patch. "Jane, I swear… Don't be a bitch to Liara, OK?"

"What? A bitch? Me? I would  _never._ " Jane joked. "She was a bitch to me first. I just reciprocated."

"She doesn't know you, she doesn't trust you," John replied, activating his omnitool and scanning his sister. "What the hell kind of medigel is that?" He squinted at the chemical composition scrolling across his omnitool. "It looks to be mostly analgesic."

"There is a significant analgesic component, yes, but it isn't  _mostly_  analgesic," Jane protested, and waved a hand at him absently, squinting at the final patch. "Back off a sec, you're blocking my light."

John obediently backed away. "Jane. I am your commanding officer, I don't want to have someone coming up to the loft every time you refuse to do something a superior tells you to. You disobeyed a direct order, and Liara won't understand if I don't punish you in some way."

"I'm not convinced of her qualifications," she sniffed, finishing with the last patch and setting her suit aside. "And the damage to my suit needed to be dealt with right away."

"Why couldn't you just tell Liara that?"

"I told her I didn't trust her qualifications," Jane muttered petulantly.

John invaded her space again, and shook his head, waving the omnitool over her again, squinting at the display. "Some of these burns need a dermal bond-"

"I know, John," Jane grinned. "I was planning on hitting up the medbay when I was done. Really."

John wasn't listening to her, though. He was staring at her back, and the angry scars now littered there. "Christ, Jane," he sat down heavily. "Where the fuck did these come from?"

Jane sent him a warning glare. "You were dead two years, John. A lot can happen in two years," she shrugged. "I'm going to medbay, OK? And don't sick T'soni on me again, please. At least, not until she stops hating me because she thinks we're sleeping together."

John blinked, then sighed. "Oh, hell. I told her I didn't want her and I to continue… that thing we had before I died. She probably thought I'd replaced her with you."

"That's the grossest thing I've ever thought about," Jane pushed herself up, grabbing a black hoodie and zipping it closed. "Ever."

"What? Me and Liara? I never took you for a xenophobe."

"I'm  _not_  a xenophobe. Why is everyone accusing me of being a xenophobe today?" Jane snapped. "You and me. That's the grossest thing I've ever thought about. Jesus, John."

"Then stop thinking about it," he suggested.

John followed her as she walked into the medbay. Liara was in the mess, speaking to Comm Specialist Traynor, watching the pair with narrowed eyes.

"Careful, Commander. You don't want to be seen exiting my room with me," Jane said flatly. "Or you'll give  _someone_  the wrong idea about us."

John glanced over at Liara through the window in the medbay, and rolled his eyes. "Dermal bonds. Now."

* * *

The Normandy docked at the Citadel six hours later. Jane pulled on jeans, a tank top and a slim fitting black leather jacket when John announced the short Shore Leave everyone was receiving.

"That's a good look for you, Lola," James ran over to her as she exited the ship into Docking Bay D-24. "Leather… sexy."

"Keep your tongue in your mouth, meathead," Jane replied, grinning at him as he fell into step beside her. "What kind of trouble are you getting yourself into during this fine two hour shore leave?"

"Just sight seeing," James replied, stepping out of a keeper's way. "Don't get here too often. None of my assignments really brought me through this neck of the woods. Spent more time on Omega. Prettier here, that's for sure. You?"

"I'm procuring upgrades for my suit," Jane rolled her shoulder, wincing as they stepped into the elevator. "Some of that robot bitch's fire got through the heavy weave, so I'm going to see what's out there. Apparently the batarians have been working on improved fire protection because vorcha are so fond of flamers and not so careful with their friendly fire." Jane punched the button for the Docks Holding Area.

James winced, pressing the button for the Embassies. "Well, have fun with that."

"Take some time to watch the traffic. The view out the windows on the Embassy level is second to none," Jane offered. "Much prettier than anything you'll see on Omega."

"You haven't seen the asari dancers I've met," James winked at her lecherously. She snorted, amused.

The elevator arrived at the Docking Bay, and Jane stepped out.

"Thanks for the tip, Lola. Catch you later," he called after her.

"See ya," she waved, waiting for the doors to close.

Jane arrived in the docking bay and wasted no time finding the Batarian State Arms terminal. She browsed their wares, not finding anything of interest, and narrowed her eyes on the Batarian running the stall.

"I've heard rumors that y'all have a new coating you're adding to your armor to protect it against vorcha flamers. I want some," Jane grinned widely. " _And_ I'll make it worth your while."

"Why should I give a  _human_  our secrets?" The batarian snarled at her.

"Because," Jane shrugged. "I'm offering to pay you an elcor's weight in credits."

The batarian snarled at her. "Your credits are worthless to me."

Jane raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Fine, I also want it to fight Reapers, so… I guess it depends on whether or not you want Aratoht to have been destroyed in vain, or if you'll let me help to avenge your system."

"Commander Shepard destroyed Aratoht," the batarian grabbed Jane by the throat, baring his teeth. "Will you kill him to avenge Aratoht?"

"You know as well as I do that he made an impossible choice in an impossible situation. The sacrifice of Aratoht saved  _billions_  of lives," Jane stayed relaxed despite the tight grip around her throat. "Why are you belittling the sacrifices of those who died to protect the rest of the galaxy by selfishly refusing to give  _your allies_  a leg up in the biggest war we've  _ever_  seen?"

The batarian released his grasp, and turned away, still snarling angrily. "He should still be punished."

"Hell, we locked him up, what else do you want from us?"

"He is running free on the station as we speak," he answered, narrowing all four eyes at Jane.

"Well, sure," Jane cocked an eyebrow. "But wouldn't you  _rather_  he be free right now? You know he's the only person who stands a chance in hell of stopping the Reapers, right?"

"Fuck. Fine. 7,500 credits is what it costs you," the batarian finally sighed. "Where would you like it delivered?"

Jane winked and handed him a credit chit. "Docking Bay D-24, and within the hour, if that's possible. I included a … thank you on the credit chit. Thanks, friend."

Next, to the Presidium and Cipritine Armory – turians always had the most advanced biotic protective materials, due to the infrequency of biotics in their population. The vendor was thankfully knowledgeable and knew of a variety of armor with increased biotic protection. Jane purchased several of his suggestions, secretly overjoyed at the prospect of ripping them apart and adding the upgrades to her own suit.

With twenty minutes to spare, Jane sauntered over to Apollo's Café to order a take-out cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milk shake. As she waited for her meal, her eyes landed on an asari matriarch leaning against the counter.

"Aethyta?" Jane gasped, walking towards her. "What are you doing on the Citadel?"

"Jane Singer," Aethyta drawled slowly. "You know me. I love the Citadel, all the political bullshit and thinly veiled compliments. When Apollo's Café offered me a bartending job, I couldn't resist."

"Right, and I'm a krogan warlord," Jane replied.

"Pretty skinny for a krogan, let alone a warlord," Aethyta answered, her voice amused and dry.

"Lieutenant," one of the servers handed Jane a brown paper bag with her takeout and a paper cup filled with milkshake.

"Sweet, thanks," Jane replied. "Aethyta, as always, a pleasure."

"Mmmhmmm, I'm sure," Aethyta hummed in reply.

Sipping happily on her milkshake, Jane returned swiftly to the Normandy, only 5 minutes late.

John was waiting just inside the air lock of the ship, hands on his hips. "Seriously? You're late because of a burger?"

"You are such a goody-two-shoes. I'm only five minutes late, and this is so much more than just a burger… it's a cheeseburger. With  _bacon_ ," Jane opened the bag and inhaled deeply, then grinned at him slyly. "I'll split it with ya."

John stared at her for a long beat before sighing and grabbing the milkshake out of her hand and turning to walk through the CIC.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that," Jane protested, reaching for the milkshake. John lifted the paper cup over his head, smirking down at her. Scowling, Jane followed him through the CIC. "You are such an ass. Give it back."

"And you are a bad influence. So let's go grab some beer and eat this," John gestured for her to precede him into the elevator.

"Commander?" Samantha Traynor's soft lilt followed them into the elevator. "You have new messages on your terminal."

"Thanks, Traynor," John answered. "I'll get to them later. Oh, EDI? Tell Joker to set a course for Palaven."

"Of course, Commander," EDI replied.

"Palaven, huh?" Jane asked as the elevator door hissed shut.

"In order to get the support of the turians we have to remove the Primarch from Menae, bring him to a peace summit with the asari and salarians…" He sighed. "Palaven just got hit. I'm … I have a good friend on Palaven right now, and I haven't heard from him."

"Garrus Vakarian?"

"Uh, yeah, how'd you know?" John answered, surprised, stepping out of the elevator once it arrived on Deck 3 and heading towards the Port Observation Lounge.

"Oh, come on. I haven't been living under a rock, you know. I might not know the specifics, but you're kind of a big deal. Lots of press on the extranet about you," Jane reached into the paper bag, grabbing a French fry. "Mmmm, yum. Anyways, everyone knows about Commander Shepard and his turian best friend. Even when you were with Cerberus, Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah still had your six." Jane sat down at on the couch, taking the burger and fries out of the paper bag while John grabbed two bottles of beer. "Speaking of specifics, are you going to tell me what the hell happened to you?"

John handed Jane a bottle. They clinked their bottles together, both taking long pulls from their beers. He grabbed the burger and took a big bite. "This is delicious," He handed Jane the burger, then leaned back, taking a sip of beer and putting his feet up on the square coffee table. "I guess it all started when a turian spectre named Nihlus joined the crew of the Normandy to evaluate me in action, to see if I was the right fit for the role of spectre. We were on our way to Eden Prime on a covert mission to recover a Prothen Beacon that had just been discovered…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Year 2160**

_John sat slumped in the hospital bed, staring at his hands. He let out a shuddering breath, trying to stay calm. Janey was missing. He'd fallen asleep and now she was gone._

_Mommy told him to look after his sister._

_It was all his fault._

_Slipping quietly out of the bed, John made his way to the door of the ward. One boy watched him as he went. Lots of these kids had casts and stitches and big heavy-looking bandages. They didn't seem to sleep well. Every noise startled them awake._

_Quickly, John snuck out of the ward. He stepped into the bright hall, before ducking into a storage closet. In school, John would hide in the janitor's closet from bullies. He His eyes widened when he stepped inside – it was_ way _bigger than any closet he'd_ ever _seen. It was full of bright and shiny shelves, piled high with white cardboard boxes, green blankets and blue towels._

_John hid in the corner of the storage closet, finally letting himself cry. He pressed his hands against his mouth, trapping the sobs inside. His head shot up in when he heard the door open, and eyes alert as two women slipped inside. The hand stifling his sobs stifled a gasp of surprise._

" _Hannah," the first woman said softly. "Sweetie, I can't imagine what you're going through. I am so sorry, sweetie. So sorry."_

_John pressed his hands against his mouth more forcefully, staying as silent and still as he could. Sometimes when his mommy's friends would come over, John and Janey would hide under their bed together, hands wrapped over their mouths to not attract attention. He was good at staying quiet._

_The second woman fisted her hands in her short blond hair. "I don't know what I'm going through. Nothing makes sense, Tiff. Fuck, my_ son _just died. How am I supposed to feel? Tell me how I'm supposed to feel?" She let out a sob, and clapped her hand to her mouth, eyes wide and wild. She dropped her hand suddenly, and started pacing. "Oh my god, this is going to destroy me and Frank… How can I face him and tell him I killed his son?"_

" _Don't say that. Don't even think it," Tiff snapped. "A bus crash killed your son, nine other kids and left a brother and sister orphans." She sighed. "Did you kill any of them? Are you responsible for those deaths?"_

" _Tiff, I know I didn't kill those kids, but I made Jonathan take that bus," Hannah whispered. "I all_ but _killed him. I couldn't pick him up at school today. I had too much to do to prepare for Frank getting back tomorrow," Hannah started to cry, folding in on herself as the first woman – Tiff – wrapped her arms around the smaller blond woman._

" _Oh, Hannah," Tiff said softly, holding her tightly. "It isn't your fault, Han. I promise you. A car spun out of control, and crashed into another car. The bus driver braked too hard, the bus rolled. None of that was your fault."_

_John watched the blond woman with interest. Her eyes and nose were bright red. She'd just lost her own little boy, and when he thought about that, he couldn't help but think of his mommy and Janey. He suddenly, desperately, wanted a hug, and couldn't contain the sobs._

_Hannah straightened up. "Did you hear that?" She said, her voice sharp._

" _Hear what, Hannah?" Tiff asked._

_John scooted back as far as he could into the corner, but Hannah spotted him right away. "Hi there," Hannah called, her voice suddenly soft. "What's your name?"_

" _John," he whispered back, wiping his face dry quickly. "John Singer."_

" _Oh, honey," Tiff said softly. John suddenly noticed the id badge on her blazer. "You should be in bed."_

" _Have you heard about my sister? Has anyone found her?"_

" _Not that I've heard, honey," Tiff said._

" _What is he talking about?" Hannah asked, looking back over her shoulder._

_Tiff looked suddenly uncomfortable. "The hospital lost track of his sister."_

" _What? Why aren't the police here?" Hannah spun on her heel, facing Tiff. "How long has she been missing?" She hissed._

_Tiff pulled Hannah away, whispering in Hannah's ear so John couldn't hear. He watched Hannah's face with interest. Her pale skin was flushing red. She looked furious._

_She started arguing back, waving her hands, hissing so quietly that John could only pick up a few words here and there. Words like report, police, home, blackmail and deal. Tiff, her spine stiff with indignation, spun away from Hannah, now furious herself._

" _Hannah_ _," Tiff pleaded. "Your son just died. Can't you see how unhealthy this is? Please, think about what you're doing. Hannah..."_

_Hannah said nothing. Instead, she turned back to John, kneeling in front of him again. Quickly, she scooted forwards, reaching for the little boy. "You look like you could use a hug, John," Hannah said kindly._

_John hesitated for only a second before flying into her arms. Hannah Shepard wrapped her arms around the little boy, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent. Hot tears bubbled up as she thought of her son, and she suddenly promised herself that she would dedicate her life to making sure that_ this _little boy fulfilled his potential._

" _Come on, John," she said quietly, holding him securely, and lifting him up. "Let's go."_

* * *

**Year 2186**

John woke with a gasp, followed quickly by a groan. He sat up, cradling his head carefully in his hands. It was never just one beer when he and Jane started drinking. Somehow one always turned into three or four with them. And John's story had taken a long time to tell. They'd both been half-cocked by the time he'd finished with Saren and Sovereign.

Jane's hand had grabbed his when he told her about Ashley, and she hadn't let go until John had shrugged, looked over at her and said: "And now we're here." He'd been surprised to see evidence of tears – a dried salty track down one cheek, slightly redder than usual eyes and a faintly stuffed nose – but neither made mention of it.

John massaged his temples with a sigh that turned into a groan at a knock at the door. He forced himself up, and walked slowly to the door.

"Liara," he said in surprise. "Can I help you?"

"I've been forwarding the turian councilor information on the Prothean device," Liara began. "It can't be built without council support, but he's not budging until their primarch is safe."

John felt a flash of irritation at the asari's gently chiding words, and he turned from her. "I know," he muttered.

"Are you all right?" She asked solicitously, stepping closer to him.

He sighed and turned back around. "I didn't get what you'd call a good night's rest."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there? What's really bothering you?"

John stared at Liara for a moment.  _I have a hangover_ , probably wouldn't go over too well, and Liara was suspicious enough of Jane as it was. He rattled off something vague about earth, and let Liara comfort him. When the Comm Specialist's arrival interrupted their "moment," John felt nothing but relief. Soon, John wished for nothing more than for her babbling to stop. She was clearly clever, and far too eager to prove herself.

John listened to her prattle on, and suddenly grinned with realization. She was perfect for him. As a fairly good judge of character, John was certain that she wouldn't let him get away with slacking off on paperwork. It wasn't that he was lazy about his paperwork, he just didn't have the head for keeping everything straight. If everything was laid out for him, he'd get it done, but if he had to prepare everything himself… Well, the Normandy wouldn't run. Traynor was going to be the perfect fit. She just had that … organized, British feel to her.

Finally, despite his delight with his new Comm Specialist, John escaped to the mess, desperate for coffee. He poured the black shit into a coffee mug, followed by liberal amounts of creamer and sugar before taking a big gulp of the scalding brew.

"Morning, Johnnie."

John spun, startled, the hot coffee in his mug splashing onto his hand. "Ow, fuck," he cursed, meeting the eyes of his younger sister. "You don't look like you're hurting nearly enough. If you're not hungover, I'm going to shoot you with a concussive round."

Jane grinned, serving herself a cup of black coffee. "You'd think Cerberus would have had the foresight to provide you with advanced hangover cybernetics, or whatever you would call it."

"I hate you, why aren't you hungover? I  _do_  have superior cybernetic implants.  _And,_ we drank the same amount," he scowled, taking another deep drink of the steaming brew, ignoring the burning sensation as he slurped the coffee down. As soon as it hit his stomach, he started feeling better.

"Commander, we are one hour out from Palaven," EDI reported.

"Thanks, EDI," John answered. "Jane? Want to come with?"

"Yeah, I'm in," Jane replied. "You're bringing Liara, aren't you?"

"She's good, Jane," John informed her. "There's way more to Liara than meets the eye.."

"Yeah, yeah," Jane waved at him dismissively, wandering towards Life Support, coffee in hand. "See you in a bit."

* * *

John glanced back at the two women he'd chosen for his squad. They'd been snapping and bitching at each other since halfway to the moon's surface in the Kodiak.

Focusing his attention on the sat comm tower in front of him, he considered who to send. In theory, either Jane or Liara could do it, but he knew that Jane would fix it faster – and probably leave it better than new. Liara would do her best, and it would be good enough, but not great. Jane would fight him on it, and Liara wouldn't complain once. Tough call.

"Jane, see if you can repair it," John decided, glancing back at the structure behind him. Menae was inches from falling and the turians needed every advantage they could get. Jane would do the better job, and more lasting fix. It was a small action, but everything counted.

"Seriously?" Jane complained. "You've been sidelining me since I boarded the Normandy! Guard the door, fix the comm tower… you gonna send me back to the Normandy the next time EDI hiccups, too?"

"First of all, EDI doesn't hiccup. Second of all, you're the best suited for the job. And third? Well, third, Lieutenant, I am your commanding officer and you do what the hell I tell you," John glared at his little sister. "With a smile and a 'yes, sir!'"

" _Fine_ ," she replied, annoyed. "If you can keep husks from climbing up behind me, I'd be much obliged," she called back to him as she headed to the ladder leading up the Comm Tower.

"She didn't say 'yes, sir,'" Liara observed, her tone uppity.

John sighed, rolling his eyes. "Are you both going to act like petulant teenagers for this entire mission?"

Liara sent him an innocent gaze. With a grunt, John cast his gaze to the horizon, keeping his eyes peeled for husks.

Two large fireballs crashed down to the moon's surface. It was a terrifying delivery system. When it came to pure badass troop deployment, the Reapers had humans beat by a mile. John reloaded his Mattock Assault Rifle quickly, turning on the incendiary ammo in preparation.

"Here they come," John announced. "Ready, Liara?"

"Ready," the asari replied.

In those first few moments of battle, everything around John quieted until it was just him, his weapon and the next target. Heart beating loudly in his ears, aim dead-on accurate, John took out wave after wave of husks with efficiently deadly shots. Not a single bullet wasted, John Shepard shot to kill.

There was something almost mindlessly soothing about taking out these husks. They were uncomplicated prey. A shot to the head here, a butt of the rifle to the skull there, step back, roll to the side, shoot, punch, repeat. It became a dance, the soft whomp of Liara's singularities keeping a strange kind of time.

"Commander, I've repaired the tower's main satellite connection," Jane reported, her voice sounding tense and distracted. "On my way down."

In seconds, Jane was running by him, brightly gleaming sword in hand. She disappeared before his eyes, before reappearing directly behind a husk. John's eyes widened slightly in surprise when the sword sliced the husk in half. Effortlessly, Jane spun on her heel, impaling the husk running towards her. She tossed the husk to the side, disappearing once again, setting off some bizarre electric shockwave directly into a cluster of moaning husks.

Jane was right, he had been sidelining her. Not completely on purpose, but he'd done it nonetheless. On Mars John had ordered her to watch their six, made sure no one took them from behind. Jane had only seen action in the final mad dash after Coré – where she'd caught the incinerate to the chest. The conniving brat was being purposely vicious in battle to prove to him she was capable, he was sure.

It was an annoyingly kid-sister-like thing to do. Especially because it was working. The Jane he remembered did not fight like this. She was careless and reckless, and the job got done, but it wasn't pretty. Collateral damage wasn't much of a concern to her.

Before he'd known who she was, he'd filed over ten disciplinary marks on her record.

But  _this_  Jane was elegant. Her movements were efficient and graceful. She moved with intuition and deadly precision. Her skill with that sword was incredible. John could hardly keep up with how quickly she sliced the blade through the air, leaving carnage in her wake. She was a bloody killing machine. She was fucking  _awesome._

"General, do you read?" John asked suddenly, remembering their objective. "The Comm Tower is now operational."

"Much appreciated, Commander," Corinthus replied over the comms. "I'll contact Palaven Command."

"Let me know when you've got something," he replied, lining up his Mattock and shoting a bullet right into a husk's face. "I'll help your men until I hear from you."

"Understood," Corinthus answered.

"Shepard, out," John finished, punching a husk and shooting it as it reeled back.

"Take that, fuckers!" Jane cried triumphantly as she knocked three husks back off the cliff with a cackle.

"Barrier down!" Liara cried out from where she was being swarmed by a group of husks. John stopped watching his sister, and turned to lay some suppressing fire to cover Liara as she fled them.

After a moment to allow her barriers recharge, Liara sent out a brutally effective singularity, catching the remaining husks who chased her. One of Jane's electric shockwaves connected with it, resulting in the trapped husks exploding from the force of the electricity rushing through their bodies.

Jane laughed gleefully when she watched them disintegrate. "Dr. T'soni, I might just like working with you yet," she snickered.

"Hmmm," Liara replied, her voice equal parts amused and irritated. "That was very effective. What do you call that?"

John picked off the last husk of the rush.

"Area clear," Jane announced. "I call it an electric slash," she answered Liara.

"It looks like an electric shockwave. You should call it an electric shockwave," John observed.

Jane cocked her head to the side. He could only imagine the look on her face under that damned recon hood. "Shut up," she finally said, her voice strangled. "It's an electric slash. I invented it, I named it."

"I'm calling it an electric shockwave," he said calmly, shrugging, as Jane choked out an ugly response.

"Commander Shepard. Come in," Corinthus's voice flooded their comms.

"Go ahead."

"I have information from Palaven Command. Please return asap."

"On our way," John replied. He glanced at Liara and Jane, who were standing side-by-side, dramatically different, Jane in her black suit, Liara in her white one. "Let's go."

The three ran back at an easy jog.

"I don't like it when they just… disappear like that," Jane observed uneasily as they crossed the moon's craggy, uneven surface. "It's too quiet, too fast."

"You would rather constant attack?" Liara asked, incredulously. "The turian soldiers back at the base are exhausted! I'm sure  _they_  appreciate the break."

Jane sighed. "At least when they're attacking you, you know where they are."

"Approaching the base," John announced, if only to change the subject. The gates opened for them, and John headed directly to the General. "What've you got?"

"As your partner said, succession is usually simple," Corinthus sounded drained. "But right now, the Hierarchy is in chaos. With so many dead, or MIA…"

"I need someone. I don't care who. As long as they can get us the turian resources we need," John snapped, suddenly annoyed with turians and their obsessive need to follow the rules. Suddenly, John missed Garrus deeply, the best man – but worst turian – he knew.

"I'm on it, Shepard," replied a shockingly familiar voice. "We'll find you the Primarch."

John turned and squinted at the arriving turian, his face breaking out into a wide, relieved grin. "Garrus!" John exclaimed.

"Vakarian, sir," Corinthus said, suddenly flustered. "I didn't see you arrive!"

"At ease, General," Garrus said calmly, and John almost burst out laughing at Garrus Vakarian being in a position to tell a  _General_  to relax.

"Good to see you again," John interjected, drawing Garrus's attention back to him. "I thought you'd be on Palaven."

"If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven," Garrus replied. "I'm the… closest damned thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces so I'm…" Garrus trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Advising."

John turned around and stepped back, revealing Jane and Liara standing behind him. "Jane, this is Garrus Vakarian," he introduced. Jane sent John a look no one else would be able to decipher, one of relief on John's behalf that his best friend was safe. "He helped me stop the Collectors," he explained, even though Jane already knew. "He's a hell of a soldier."

Garrus went momentarily still, his predatory eyes flitting between the two of them, instantly aware of exactly  _who_  Jane was and her relationship to John. "Lieutenant," he greeted, his voice hard to read, before he turned to face Liara. "Good to see you, too, Liara."

"Good to see you in one piece, Garrus," Liara said, her voice friendly.

"Commander, the General filled me in, we know who we're after," Garrus continued.

"Palaven Command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus," Corinthus informed John.

"Victus," Liara said, eyes distant as she tried to remember. "His name has crossed my desk."

"Know 'im, Garrus?" John asked.

"I was fighting alongside him this morning," Garrus nodded. "Life in the military, gets good results, popular with his troops… Not so popular with Military Command. He has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy."

John felt instant relief. Someone who wasn't afraid to break the rules was  _exactly_  who Palaven needed in control. As Garrus and Liara explained what was meant by "playing loose," John felt even more relief.

"You think he can get the job done?"

"We both know conventional strategy won't beat the Reapers," Garrus drawled. "Right now? He could be our best shot." Garrus paused, then met John's eyes. "And I trust him."

"OK," John nodded. "Let's get him on the shuttle and get out of here."


	5. Chapter 5

**Year 2160**

_Jane shivered, her eyes wide in the night._

_After Jane escaped from the woman in the hall, she'd somehow found herself swept out onto the street. After what felt like_  hours _of wandering around the dark and frightening streets,_ _Jane was now well and truly lost._

_She huddled in a doorway, sobbing into her cold hands. She wanted her mommy. And Johnnie. And her bunny rabbit. Mommy had passed Jane bunny in the car, but she couldn't remember where she last saw the stuffed animal._

_Jane's sobs turned louder and more piteous. She wanted to go home._

" _Who's there? Oh, hello little girl. Who're you? What's your name? Where's your mooooooommy?" The man's voice was low and rough, his teasing had a dark edge to it._

_Jane didn't like it, so she buried her face between her knees, her thin shoulders shaking violently._

_A big hand grabbed her shoulder. The man let out a quiet, ugly laugh._

_Jane jerked her head up in a panic, letting out a scream at the sight of the man standing over her. His grip on her shoulder was painfully tight. His brown teeth made Jane feel sick._

" _Let me go!" She shrieked in a panic, beating at his hands._

" _Hey," a woman a few feet away snapped. "Let go of that little girl. I have a Taser, and my friend here carries a really loud rape whistle. We'll use them. You'll get hurt."_

_The hand dropped off her shoulder, and the man ran away. Jane dropped her face into her arms, shaking._

" _Oh, honey, are you ok? Did he hurt you?" This was a new voice. It had to belong to the second woman, and was high pitched and caring._

_Jane peeked up at the two garishly dressed women. Sometimes her mommy used to dress like that. Jane felt more at ease._

_The first woman was a short, glamorous looking black woman in black high heeled, platform boots, a short black skirt and a jeans jacket. "Hell, kid. You look like you're freezing. Come on, we'll buy you some pie and a hot chocolate, and we can help you find your mom, ok?"_

_Jane burst into tears again. "My mommy died," she sobbed out. The second woman, a skinny blond in a blue dress and a fur coat, let out a cry and swept Jane into her arms._

" _Oh, sweetie," she cooed. "Are you all alone out here? Oh, come with us, we'll help figure you out." With surprising ease, the woman lifted Jane into her arms. "C'mon, Pat, let's go to Mama's. We'll grab a coffee, and get her some food."_

_Jane, tired and emotionally drained, relaxed in the blond woman's arms._

" _I'm Destiny," the blond woman introduced herself. "My friend over here is Pat."_

" _I'm Jane," the little girl whispered._

" _How old are you, Jane?" Pat asked kindly._

" _Four," she answered softly._

" _Four years old! Now, I have a little boy your age," Destiny exclaimed. "Curtis is his name. He's with his dad right now," she looked aside at Pat. "That's deadbeat number four."_

" _Oh, bumpy butt?" Pat snorted._

"S _hut it, Pat," she snapped. "Like you've done much better."_

" _Never bedded a bumpy butt," Pat said dryly._

_Destiny giggled. "Here we are honey," Destiny exclaimed, and bustled the little girl into the brightly lit and nearly empty diner. "Hey. Mama!" Destiny shouted._

" _I thought you good-for-nothin's were on the street tonight," an enormously fat woman called from behind the counter. "Hey, you find another stray, Pat?"_

" _It's what I do," Pat grinned. "Well, that and suck cock."_

 _Destiny shrieked with laughter, sitting Jane down at the counter. "Pat, you are so bad, Jane is only_ four. _"_

" _Hiya, Jane," Mama stuck her big, meaty hand out. Jane took it tentatively, smiling faintly when Mama shook her hand firmly. "I'm Mama. It's nice to meet you."_

" _Hi," Jane replied, trying to be brave._

" _Well, Jane, I make the best hot chocolate in all of Manhattan," Mama narrowed her eyes. "But you look like more of a chocolate shake kind of a girl. With a cheeseburger. And maybe some fries?"_

" _That's a lot of food for a little girl," Destiny said slowly._

" _I can eat it!" Jane burst out, wanting the chocolate milkshake more than_ anything _in the world._

_Mama sent the little girl a smile. "Coming right up," Mama said softly. "I have some clothes in the back, I'll get you something that works."_

" _Thanks, Mama," Pat offered. The short woman sat next to Jane, and looked down at her. "Honey… My oldest kid just got his own place, so I have room, if you need to stay somewhere."_

" _Pat," Destiny said slowly. "Shouldn't we be calling social services, or whatever?"_

_Pat sighed. "Look. I know how it works. Her mom is gone. She's alone. There probably isn't even anyone looking for her. She'll probably wind up in some dangerous group home, or at a godawful orphanage, and she'll wind up joining the Dukes, or something."_

" _What if there is someone out there looking for her?" Destiny insisted._

" _Johnnie," Jane whispered. "My brother. We were at the hospital."_

_Pat and Destiny looked at each other. Mama, who had overheard most of the exchange, put a meaty hand on her ample hip. "How about we call the hospital and ask if there's a little boy in the hospital named Johnnie…" She looked at Jane._

" _Singer," she said helpfully._

" _If there's a Johnnie Singer at the nearest hospital, then," Mama finished. "For… a floral arrangement."_

_Destiny nodded. "NY Downtown is closest," she said. "It's pretty shitty, but they have children's doctors there… Mama will you call?"_

" _Yeah, yeah," she muttered, pulling out her communication vid screen from behind the counter, leaning in such a way that Jane couldn't see what was on the screen. "Call NY Downtown Hospital," she instructeded the tablet in front of her. Moments later, a voice responded._

" _Thank you for calling NY Downtown Hospital. If this is an emergency, please hang up and call 911. For patient information, say 'information.'"_

" _Information," Mama said, her tone bored._

" _Please state the patient's full name, and your relationship to the patient,"_ _the VI replied, her tone pleasant._

_Jane didn't like the fake voices of VIs. They haunted her nightmares._

" _Johnnie Singer, family friend," Mama answered._

" _Please hold while I search for that information."_

_Seconds later, a human picked up the line. "Hello, my name is Tiff Howard, I am one of the hospital administrators. You requested information about Johnnie Singer?"_

" _Yes, I'm friendly with his mother," Mama lied. "I heard she died and I wanted to send him a teddy bear, or something. Damned shame." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Hey, and the little girl, too. His sister. Jane. How are they doing? They make it out ok?"_

_The woman on the other line hesitated for a moment. "I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, but both the children died due to complications from their wounds. Generally I wouldn't release this information to a non-family member, but as they don't have any family..."_

_Jane opened her mouth to protest that she was alive and the woman was LYING, but Destiny put her hand over Jane's mouth._

" _Quiet, honey, we're finding out what's what," Pat whispered into Jane's ear._

 _Suddenly the woman's words sank in. Tiff had said_  "both _the children."_ _Johnnie was dead. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over silently, and her nose started to run. Snot dribbled down Destiny's hand._

_Mama was quiet for a moment. "Well. That is a damned shame. I don't expect there will be a funeral for the tykes and their mom?"_

" _I'm afraid that they were illegal refugees of the war, and have no family to claim their remains. We will hold the bodies for 30 days, then cremate them if no one claims them, then bury the ashes in a communal grave," Tiffany replied, her voice quiet and respectful. "My condolences for your loss."_

_Mama nodded. "Thank you," Mama ended the connection. "For nothing, you lying bitch."_

_Destiny took her hand off Jane's mouth, and let the little girl go when she pulled away and hunched in on herself, sobbing loudly. She sobbed for her brother. Her mom. Sobbed because she had nothing. Not even her bunny._

_Mama waddled around the counter, and kneeled down in front of the devastated little girl. "Jane, honey, you listen to me, and you listen to me good. I don't give advice much, so it better stick with you." She let out a breath. "People lie all the time, Jane. And that woman was lying or I weigh 120."_

" _She said Johnnie was dead!" Jane screamed in grief._

 _Mama pulled the little girl close, rubbing her back soothingly. "Your brother is alive, Jane. That Tiffany woman," Mama shook her head. "No. She was lying through her teeth about you_ and _your brother. He's still alive. Somewhere." She pulled back, looking Jane in the eye. "Maybe he found out you were gone, and he's looking for you right now. I don't know where he is, but he isn't dead and he isn't in that hospital. I'm positive."_

" _Mama's always right, Jane," Destiny said, having wiped her hand clean with a napkin._

" _So you need a place to stay," Mama said with a grin. "And Pat here just offered to put you up."_

" _You're more than welcome, honey," Pat said with a smile, stroking a hand down Jane's red hair._

_Jane started crying again, but this time in relief. Someone still wanted her. Someone still wanted to take care of her. She might have lost everything, but someone wanted her and Johnnie would find her._

_Pat wrapped her arms around Jane's thin shoulders, and pulled her close. "C'mon, baby, we'll come back for a burger and shake later. How about we go home? You can meet the gang."_

_Mama smiled encouragingly, and Destiny ruffled Jane's hair. In response, Jane wrapped her arms around Pat's neck tightly, and buried her face in the heavily perfumed woman's neck._

_She wasn't alone._

* * *

**Year 2186**

"Commander! Shepard come in," Joker's voice flooded their comms.

"Can this wait, Joker?" John snapped, the stress in his voice evident. "We're in the middle of a war zone."

"We've got a situation on the Normandy, Commander," Joker replied, his voice dripping with worry. "It's like she's possessed. Shutting down systems, powering up weapons… I can't find the source!"

"I need the Normandy standing by," John dropped his hand from his comm. "One of us may have to go back up."

Jane sighed, and turned to her brother. "Do you want me to go back and take a look?" Jane asked, extending him an olive branch.

"No. Liara, go back to the Normandy," John said absently. "Jane, I want you with me."

Liara nodded, looking surprised. She turned and jogged back to the Kodiak without saying a word. Jane blinked at her brother, grateful – and not for the first time – for her recon hood. It hid the utterly stunned and overwhelmed look that now graced her face.

Her brother was so mercurial. A jerk one second, and then the next... Jane was shocked to realize that she was tearing up over his wanting her on his squad.

"Garrus, you said you were with Victus this morning?" John asked his turian friend, putting the troubles aboard the Normandy behind him.

"Yeah, but we got separated," Garrus explained. "He went to bolster a flank that was breaking. Could be anywhere out there."

"We're trying to raise him, Commander," Corinthus offered, sounding defensive.

Movement on the horizon drew Jane's attention away from the conversation. As she watched, the movement fluttering over the edge of the embankment materialized into a large, insectiod, flying beast.

"Incoming Harvester!" Jane called out urgently, her HUD spitting out readings. The Harvester's natural armour was incredible. "Heading for the airfield!"

All soldiers trained their weapons on the flying creature, but the bug seemed to ignore the heavy fire, and swooped down into the camp with a scream. Hurricane in hand, Jane shot at the Harvester until the last possible second before ducking into cover. The wind from his wings flattened her to the rock she ducked behind. As soon as the bug passed, she jumped back up to her feet, getting in a last few shots before the Harvester pooped out a fireball and flew away.

Ridiculous troop deployment system, Jane concluded. What's scary about being pooped out of a giant bug? Not to mention it completely eliminated the element of surprise.

"General," John barked. "Tell Primarch Victus we'll rendezvous here," he turned back to Jane and Garrus. "In the meantime let's take care of whatever that  _thing_  dropped off." John sent Garrus a grin. "Coming, Garrus?"

Hoisting his Mantis in his hands, Garrus flared his mandibles happily. "Are you kidding? I'm right behind you."

Jane held back slightly as John led the way to the airfield. An experienced soldier, Jane could tell that Garrus and her brother instantly fell into a comfortable pattern with each other. John was more relaxed, Garrus moved in tune with John, the two clearly connected on a deep level. It was clearly evident to Jane that John and Garrus were experts at fighting together. Even if John hadn't spoken of him at length the night before, she'd still know these two men were best friends. And battle partners.

She wondered suddenly what a sparring match between the two would be like. Grinning behind her mask, Jane considered the idea. She chuckled quietly, Jane knew quite a few women who would find it hot. Hell, s _he_  would probably find it hot… If it weren't for her brother. She shuddered delicately.

Sniffing loudly to clear her nose after tearing up, Jane was again grateful for her recon hood. She knew she was blotchy, her eyes and nose red after her brief crying jag. One of the worst things about being a redhead, she'd long ago decided. It was impossible to hide her tears - hell, even thinking about tearing up made her look splotchy. She sniffed again quietly.

"Jane? Is that you panting so hard?" John teased her, mistaking the sniffling for heavy breathing.

 _Shit_. "Uh, the atmo is a bit thinner than I'm used to," Jane lied.

"Sure," John responded, still teasing, before pulling out his Mattock and diving head first into battle.

Garrus hoisted his sniper rifle, and hunkered down behind some cover. The ringing, hollow BOOM of his gun was in sharp relief to the sharper more staccato sound of John's Mattack. Jane pulled her sword out of the sheath, and activated the mononuclear blade.

About to release an electric slash into a group of husks, Jane froze. A new reaper creature - one she'd never seen before now - was approaching from her right.

"Is it just me, or do those things look like turians?" Jane gasped in shock. Garrus made a vague sounding grunt from where he was in cover.

"Troops call them Marauders," Garrus replied absently.

" _Jane,"_  John snapped. "What the hell are you waiting for?"

She shook herself, flushing with embarrassment. Activating her silent strike, Jane targeted a turian Reaper –  _Marauder_ , she corrected herself - with damaged shields. Mobility implants kicked in the same moment as her tactical cloak, and she vanished from thin air as she started rushing across the airfield. Reappearing, Jane directed all energy from her mobility and cloaking tech to her mononuclear blade. With a yell, Jane brought her brightly flashing blade down on the Marauder, slicing through his body with ease.

"That's an effective trick," Garrus whistled in appreciation over the comms as the Marauder tumbled to the ground in two parts.

"Gets the job done," Jane replied, twisting without hesitation, her sword lashing out, slicing off the head of a husk running towards her from behind. As the husk tumbled to the ground, Jane dropped to one knee before impaling another husk through the chest, watching her HUD for her tech implants to recharge. As soon as the tech recharged, she powered up the implants again, this time targeting her silent strike at a Marauder sneaking up behind Garrus's position.

"Thanks," he said absently, not even glancing back.

The fight was brutal, but short. She, Garrus and John fell into a rhythm, Jane focusing on taking out Marauders with her silent strike, Garrus covering John's six from cover, and John ripping through the masses of husks the harvesters continued to drop off with his Mattock.

Jane activated her silent strike one final time, rushing forward to take out the last Marauder on the airfield. Her strike wasn't fully effective, requiring her to strike a second time. As she reared back to finish off the Marauder, Jane heard the hollow boom of Garrus's Mantis. Less than a second later, a bullet cut through her shields with a crackle.

"What the hell?" Jane snarled, pissed off. She spun to face Garrus just in time to see the Marauder that was sneaking up behind her fall to the moon's surface with a muffled thud. Stunned, Jane stared at the creature she hadn't even  _heard_  and the bullet hole in the center of its forehead.

"Scoped and dropped!" Garrus called out triumphantly, approaching her from behind. Jane had to bite down on her lip to prevent the shaky, slightly hysterical laugh that wanted to bubble out at his ridiculous tone. "Area clear," he announced.

"Nice shot," Jane said breathlessly, refusing to allow her voice to shake. "I don't usually have a team to back me up. I didn't notice he was there. Thanks."

"I have your six," he said simply, his humble tone belied by the cocky turian grin on his face.

Jane stared at him for a moment, willing her thundering heart to slow.

He reached out, touching her shoulder. "You OK?"

She nodded, the movement jerky. "I… yeah. It just got close. Closer than I'm comfortable with."

"I have your six," he said again, this time without the cockiness, replaced by an earnestness she'd find endearing in another situation. "On Shepard's squad, one of us will  _always_  have your six, Jane."

Jane let out a deeply pent up breath, and shook off the unease she was feeling.

"Everything good over here?" John jogged up to them, looking first at Garrus, then Jane.

Jane nodded as she wiped her sword clean of the Reaper blood and re-sheathed it.

"Let's head back," he continued, giving them both an odd look.

"Shepard, come in," General Corinthus raised them on the comm.

"Go ahead," John replied as they reentered the base.

Jane surveyed the base as they walked through. The wear and tear was showing through on these soldiers. The turians on duty would often look away from the perimeter and cast their gazes to the glowing inferno that was Palaven above. Having the constant reminder that their homeworld was burning must weigh heavy on these soldier - so near, and yet so far, helpless and cut off.

Front row seats to the destruction of their home planet. As much as it pained Jane to be away from Earth, she was glad she didn't have to see the place where she grew up destroyed methodically by the Reapers.

"Still trying to raise the Primarch, but we've got trouble back here at the main barricade. If the Reapers breach it, we're  _done,"_  Corinthus stressed.

"On my way," John reassured the General. "Come on," he said to Jane and Garrus, speeding up into a run to cross the turian camp, reaching the far barricade in seconds.

They quickly climbed the ladder up onto the barricade. John, ever a sucker for a big gun, jumped on the heavy weapon mounted on top of the barrier, Garrus settling in with his rifle beside him.

Jane, sighing, pulled out her SMG. She was proficient with most weapons, but rarely carried more than her Hurricane. Anything else weighed her down, but as a result, she was generally at a disadvantage from up high. Her electric slash, though powerful, was only effective on a horizontal plane.

She was really more of a close range fighter. A solo close range fighter.

God, everything about being under her brother's commander put her far outside of her comfort zone.

Thankfully, her Hurricane was effective enough against husks. John chuffed a bit with laughter as he mowed down the husks with the heavy weapon. Between his skillful maneuvering of the gun, and Garrus's deadly speed and accuracy with his rifle they weren't leaving her with much to clean up.

"What the hell?" She heard John wonder in shock, and she followed his gaze to the giant hulking …  _beast_  that shook the ground with every step. The brutish creature gave an ungodly roar, and balls out  _ran_  at the barricade. Jane stared at it in shock.

"It's coming right for us," she wondered in awe.

" _Brute!"_  One of the turian soldiers screamed. " _Brace yourselves!"_

She barely had time to think about it before the brute crashed into the barricade, knocking her off balance. Her brain froze in a way it hadn't in a long time as she stumbled dangerously close to the edge of the barricade. Garrus's long arm reached out to grab her, pulling her to safety just in time.

As Garrus's talons wrapped around her arm and jerked her back from the edge of the barricade, Jane heard a noise of surprise coming from her brother. She looked up just in time to watch her brother pitch over the edge, as she'd been about to do.

" _John!"_  Jane screamed in alarm, pulling away from Garrus and vaulting over the side of the barricade after him. The free-fall activated her anti-grav implants automatically, and Jane landed lightly on the terrain below.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see John struggling to gain his feet after falling, and she tossed a near absent electric shock at the brute, drawing his attention to her.

The brute turned towards her, his tiny, avian head bobbing forward menacingly. He let out a low rumble.

"Let's dance," she taunted, activating her tactical cloak. The brute huffed, confused, and roared in frustration, charging into the wall where she'd stood moments before.

"Back here, fucker," she whispered, still in full cloak, and activated her silent strike. Moments later, her cloak still intact, Jane brought her charged blade down on the brute's back. She danced out of the way, grinning as the brute screamed in rage, or pain, beating himself on the chest.

John had finally gotten to his feet, and was caught up with a fresh wave of husks. In the distance, a fireball crashed to the ground and Jane could see another wave coming towards the siblings.

"Garrus," she gasped, activating her comm. "I've got this fucker, but keep them off me."

"I've got you," he replied, voice calm. The boom of his rifle was soothing to Jane's ear, and she sighed in relief, forcing herself to ignore the husks and her brother.

Tactical cloak still active, Jane activated a second silent strike. This was one of her more recent upgrades and it allowed her to use two of her tech skills while still under her cloak in exchange for a longer recharge speed. She used it sparingly, uncomfortable with having her tech skills unavailable to her for so long, but it was effective for delivering a lot of damage in a short time.

Jane rushed behind the brute, bringing her sword down with a guttural yell. The brute staggered under the force of her strike as Jane flickered back into sight. The N7 Shadow didn't let up or back away from the brute, moving her sword in a glittering arc to come down on his back again and again.

The brute turned to face her with a roar, again beating mechanical fists on chest. Jane activated her omnitool, keeping one eye on her recharging tech, and the other on the posturing brute. The program running on her omnitool was one of hanar design, analyzing an opponent to find its weakest points. Her HUD highlighted the sole physical weakness of the brute – it's thin neck, protected by a cage of metal. The HUD further pointed out that the cage was open from below and above, protecting it from side attacks.

"Oh, hell," she muttered to herself when her tech finished recharging, seeing only one course of action.

The brute finished his battle cry, dropped down on all fours and started running at her, giant arms waving threateningly. John was unloading clip after clip into the brute, but each bullet just seemed to make it stronger. Angrier.

Jane sent all power to her mobility implants, increasing her speed and maneuverability exponentially, and started running straight for the charging brute.

At the last second, Jane dropped to the ground, sliding on her hip under the brute's swinging claws. She twisted, not quite dodging the brute's claw, and hissed when she felt it slice through her suit and skin. Trusting her suit's medical tech, Jane ignored the pain, stabbing her sword up from below with another mighty yell.

The brute froze, the mononuclear blade emerging from the top of its skull, coated in black blood. As the brute started to fall, Jane jerked the sword free and rolled away, feeling the moon's surface rumble as the monstrosity crashed to the ground.

Jane crouched, panting, and attempted to catch her breath. Instantly following injury, her suit's medical tech – existing on its own power source and set of tech wiring – had been working its magic. Automatically, small repositories flooded the stinging wound on her side with her analgesic-heavy medigel, then covered the wound with a sterile gel that dried into a flexible polymer. The polymer knit the cut edges of her suit back together and worked as a means to keep her tech from shorting out.

The polymer was nearly dry as Jane pushed herself up, Garrus and John running towards her. John had a worried look on his face.

"Are you OK? Did that thing hurt you?" John demanded, pulling her recon hood off obnoxiously, peering worriedly at her face. "You look pale."

Jane batted at his hands. "Stop it, John. I'm fine."

John narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, and Jane was suddenly even more grateful for the medical upgrades she'd installed. "Gimme my hood," Jane reached for it, John holding it just out of reach. " _John._  Give it to me. _"_

John threw her the hood. She caught it with a single hand, sending him a scowl. "Nice hair, sis," John snickered.

Jane sent him a deadly glare, and pulled the hood back over her head roughly. "Screw you," she muttered.

Turning away from her brother, Jane froze as she caught sight of Garrus. He was laughing at them. Openly. Almost doubled over he was laughing so hard. John shifted his focus to his turian friend, frowning.

"Something on your mind, Vakarian?" John asked, an irritated look on his face.

Garrus straightened, mirth still evident on his face. "Sorry, Commander. I've just never seen you act like… Well, like an annoying older brother."

John stared at Garrus for a moment, before Corinthus's voice flooded their comms.

"Shepard, Corinthus here."

"What's the word on the Primarch?" John asked, hand pressed to his comm link.

"Still can't get a stable comm link," Corinthus announced.

"OK," John answered. "Then I'm going on foot. Shepard, out. Garrus take us to the place where you last saw Victus."

Without hesitation, Garrus took off at a run, heading back towards his former location. Jane pulled her hood back on, following behind and watching John and Garrus's six.

It was hard to ignore Palaven burning above. Hard to not think about Earth, hit just as hard but with a less formidable military force.

Jane was ripped out of her thoughts as Garrus mentioned his father and sister still on Palaven, and was instantly grateful that she and John were aboard the Normandy.

Things were bad. And they were going to get worse. Jane's eyes welled up with tears again, this time of grief and rage.

The Reapers were going to  _pay._


	6. Chapter 6

**Year 2160**

" _Where are we going?" John asked quietly, his arms still locked around Hannah's neck._

" _Home," she said softly in reply. "I have a guest room you can stay in for now, until we can figure out something more permanent for you."_

_John relaxed somewhat, grateful he wouldn't have to sleep in the dead boy's bedroom. "OK," he said awkwardly after a long pause._

_Hannah shifted him slightly in her arms. "Think you'll be warm enough out there?"_

_He nodded. "It's not that cold."_

" _We'll get you some clothes tomorrow. For tonight, you'll have to sleep in some of my husband's clothes," Hannah said nervously as she stepped through the clear, automatic doors into the night air. "You'll meet him tomorrow," her lower lip trembled slightly._

_The rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet, the street lights reflected in the slick surface below. It looked like they were walking across the night sky._

_Hannah settled him in the backseat of her skycar, and took off quickly into the night. John glanced around nervously. She drove skillfully through the night sky, but John's knuckle turned white the tighter he squeezed his fists._

_They arrived at the apartment building quickly, but the elevator took forever to get there. John thought the drive from the hospital was maybe faster than the elevator._

_When they finally reached the apartment, John was yawning again, leaning into Hannah's side._

_Quickly, Hannah led John into a small room with plain furnishings. The bed, covered in a dark navy comforter, was the biggest bed John had ever seen, taking up almost all the space in the room._

_Hannah grinned down at the little boy. "It's a pretty big bed for such a little guy," she said, and her eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Look around," she said quickly, turning away. "I'll be back with something for you to sleep in."_

_John wandered around the room, opening one door to reveal a small bathroom. His jaw dropped, looking for a second door. This bathroom couldn't be for just this room, could it?_

" _John?" Hannah called. "Oh, there you are. Here, a tee-shirt and some shorts. They'll be too big for you, but we'll go shopping tomorrow, OK?"_

_John reached for the bundle of clothing. "Thank you," he said quietly._

_Hannah turned to leave the room, and hesitated at the bedroom door. "Do you want me to tuck you in?" She whispered, her voice breaking._

_John met her eyes, and nodded, feeling his heart twist strangely when he realized his mommy would never tuck him in again. He fought down the tears._

" _What about my sister?" John blurted out suddenly._

_Looking away from the little boy, Hannah sighed. "My friend at the hospital will let me know what happens with that," she replied. "But John… You have to prepare yourself. That hospital isn't in the best neighborhood. A little girl, alone out there? I just want you to be prepared, in case of the worst."_

" _Is anyone looking for her?" He asked, clutching the clothing in his hands desperately._

_Hannah hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Of course there is, John. Now get into those clothes. You're exhausted, and it's time for bed."_

_Despondently, John nodded, taking his clothes and going into the bathroom to change._

_When he emerged, holding the shorts up in one hand, John climbed into the bed. Hannah sent him a tight smile that made him feel on edge._

" _It'll be OK, John," Hannah said. John was old enough to know she wasn't trying to reassure him, but herself._

_When John woke the next morning, it was to yelling._

_He couldn't make out the voices, but he could tell Hannah was one of the people yelling. Another – a male voice – sounded furious and devastated. When he heard the sound of something shattering he drove from the bed to hid underneath it, knowing what the yelling and the breaking glass usually meant._

_Someone scary was in the house._

_He didn't know how long he hid under the bed, but finally, he heard the door to his room swinging open._

" _John?"_

_It was Hannah. She sounded slightly panicked._

" _Here," he called out quietly, not moving. In seconds, Hannah was laying on her stomach, looking under the bed at John._

_She sighed, and sent him a smile. "What are you doing under here?"_

" _I heard shouting," he whispered, eyes wide on her face. "Did he hurt you?"_

_Hannah looked at him, startled for a moment. "Who, Frank?" She snorted out a laugh. "No, he would never. But… He's very upset right now," her voice took on a watery quality to it, and he saw that her eyes were filled with tears again. Hannah rolled onto her back, but stayed close, just out from under the bed._

_John crawled towards her slowly, and wrapped his arms around her._

_She pulled him close, the two still lying on the floor. They stayed there for a while, quietly comforting each other._

_They both heard the heavy footsteps in the hall at the same time._

" _What are you doing, Hannah?" The man's voice was resigned. It sounded to John like he had a stuffed nose._

 _John, who was still mostly under the bed, could only see the man's legs. They looked like the giant tree trunks in Central Park. John's eyes widened. He was a_ giant.

" _John heard us shouting and got scared," Hannah replied softly. "He hid under the bed."_

_Frank made a soft noise, and hunkered down slowly. "He OK?"_

" _He'll be fine, once he gets to know you," Hannah said softly. John moved slightly so he could see him better._

_Frank Shepard, John saw, was a large man with wiry black hair and a heavy black beard. He was wearing a formal blue uniform, and his eyes were red-rimmed. They were kind, though, his countenance resigned, and sad, but also welcoming and unthreatening._

" _Hi," John whispered, feeling brave with one of Hannah's arms wrapped around him. She tightened it rewardingly around his shoulders._

_Frank's face was suddenly expressionless, but his eyes were watery, so John didn't feel scared or weird about the change in his face. "Hi," Frank answered, staring at John intently._

" _Do you like the stars?" Hannah asked suddenly, drawing John's attention away from Frank._

_John was startled, and looked back at Hannah. "Yeah," he answered. "Janey and I used to go out on the balcony when the power would go out in our ward. They're pretty."_

_Hannah laughed, tightening her arms slightly. "You ain't seen nothin' yet, kiddo," she said. "Just you wait."_

_Frank stared at him, impassively, one hand clutching Hannah's._

" _I promise you, kiddo," Hannah said earnestly. "Just wait. You'll see."_

_Three weeks later, John was following Frank up the loading ramp into the SSV Einstein with Hannah at his side._

**Year 2186**

"I have to make some calls, can I contact the Hierarchy from the shuttle cockpit?"

John looked up and nodded at the new Primarch. His extraction had gone somewhat more smoothly than John had ultimately anticipated, and now he had Garrus on his crew and the Primarch under his protection. He couldn't think of a better ending, especially considering the alternatives.

"Cortez has high security clearance," John replied. "And he's discrete. Close the partition, and you'll have almost complete privacy."

Victus nodded. "Thank you, Commander," he turned to the cockpit, closing the door behind him.

Instantly, John turned to face his turian friend. Leaning back and crossing his ankles in front of him, John grinned at Garrus. "I was worried I was going to have to stage a rescue to Palaven to get you back into the main battery."

"The comms went down before I could call Joker for emergency extraction," Garrus replied lightly. "Victus wants my input, too. The Normandy is the best place for me right now."

"Admit it, you miss the Thanix," John teased.

Letting out a barking laugh, Garrus nodded. "True. I had them calibrated to perfection. I'm almost scared to look at the programming equations and trajectory formulae now. No idea who was in there, thinking they were recalibrating when in fact they were destroying careful, delicate work."

"I was checking them out the other day – they're pretty impressive," Jane observed from where she was lounging, the recon hood now set aside, her green eyes bright. Her hair was damp with sweat, tucked behind her ears. It made her look younger and more vulnerable, somehow.

Garrus made a soft noise of thanks. "Thanks," he said with a grin.

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. "I appreciate a beautiful firearm," she glanced at his rifle. "You mod that yourself?"

Garrus nodded, pulling the rifle out and checking to make sure it wasn't loaded before handing it to her, muzzle pointed up. "I love this gun," he grinned. "Took the kill shot on a thresher maw with this puppy last year."

John snorted. "Have you heard from Grunt lately?" He asked.

"No, been too busy on Palaven," Garrus took his rifle back from Jane when she handed it to him with an appreciative look. "He went straight to Wrex, though. Last I heard he was put in charge of a krogan strike-force."

"Krogan strike force?" Jane asked as she leaned back and closed her eyes. "They have enough finesse for that?"

"Grunt and Wrex do," John stated simply. "But they're different from your average krogan."

Garrus nodded. "I like them," he added. "Pretty sure Wrex and I – and Grunt and I – are the only turian-krogan friendships out there."

"Sounds like you're a progressive turian," Jane said quietly, but obviously amused, her eyes still closed.

"More like we all had your brother as a commander," Garrus joked. "He doesn't so much as inspire one to change as much as he bashes his moral superiority over you so much that you do it just to avoid the self-righteous lectures."

Jane's eyes opened briefly, meeting his, a wide, entertained grin on her face.

"Fuck you," John replied, grinning. "You ate up my moral superiority with a spoon, you turian brown-noser."

Garrus cocked his head to the side in confusion. "A 'brown-noser'? What is that?"

"It is a human slang term to reference someone who is sycophant," Jane replied, her eyes closed again.

"Why would a suck up's nose be brown?" He questioned, still confused.

John laughed. "Look it up on the extranet, bud."

The shuttle arrived at the Normandy moments later. "Get cleared by medical," he ordered Jane and Garrus.

Victus emerged from the cockpit, followed closely by Cortez.

"Primarch," John turned to the turian leader while waving James over. "Lieutenant Vega will escort you to the war room, Primarch. You'll have access to state of the art communication technologies, as well as the most current statistics and reports on the state of the war." He gestured for the Primarch to follow the muscled marine. "It is the best place for you to set up to lead the turian efforts."

"Thank you, Commander," Victus said. "Vakarian, I expect you up there as soon as you're cleared."

He watched as Garrus, James and Victus piled into the elevator, and turned to debrief Cortez quickly. Once he was done speaking with the shuttle pilot, John called for the elevator himself.

"Commander," Traynor called out as John walked out of the elevator, heading for the war room. "You have messages on your private terminal."

"Thanks, Traynor," John replied. "I'll check them later."

" _Commander,"_  Traynor stressed. "You haven't checked them since before we last stopped at the Citadel. You have to stay on top of your mail. I don't have a high enough clearance to read most of your messages."

"Right," John answered, pausing. "Can you have them sent to my terminal upstairs? I'll check my messages when I retire for the night."

Traynor nodded, her lips tight with disapproval. He shot her a grin.

"Traynor, I promise I'll read my messages before I turn in for the night," John stressed to his communication specialist as he walked by, heading for the War Room.

He heard her sighing in exasperation, and swore to himself as he went through decontamination that he would remember to read his mail. No sense in stressing out his Comm Specialist and Yeoman.

Garrus was in the war room, speaking with the Primarch. They were huddled over a small display of Palaven, discussing defense techniques. John felt a brief moment of befuddled pride that  _Garrus_  was advising the Primarch of  _Palaven_  on how to defend his planet. John grinned briefly, happy his friend was finally getting the recognition he deserved.

Nodding to the turians as he walked by, John approached his personal terminal in the circular room. He pulled up the most recent readiness reports. Nowhere near enough at this point, he knew, and started pulling together the data for the summit. He needed as much proof as he could get that if the different races of the galaxy didn't band together against the Reapers, the Reapers would win this cycle, too.

"I'll see you later, Adrien," Garrus's parting words to Victus drew John out of his research. "I should go attend to the weapons systems. The Alliance retrofit probably threw everything off. I have hours of calibrating to do." Garrus walked out of the war room, giving John a small nod when their eyes met.

" _Commander, the asari councilor is on the comm for you,"_  Joker announced.

"Patch her through, Joker," John ordered as he strode to the QEC room.

The asari councilor was grim, as always. She'd be pretty if she cracked a smile now and again, but it was always so dire with her. At least she always cut right to the chase.

"I apologize for being so frank, Commander," she said unapologetically. "But your summit and recruiting the krogan plan seems doomed to failure. We know. We've been there before."

"But madam councilor," he objected. "Let me—"

"I'm not the only one that feels this way," she chastised him. "The salarian Dalatrass is livid."

 _Why is everyone always so obsessed with keeping the_ salarians _happy?_  John wondered to himself. "Look, some of these issues are hundreds of years old. Time to let go."

"Perhaps," she conceded. "Still, we can't help but feel that this summit is a waste of your time." She hesitated for the briefest moment. "And we can't afford to have it waste ours. We must focus our attention on the arrival of the Reapers."

 _Oh, you fucking_  bitch. _I've been telling you to focus your attention on the arrival of the Reapers non-stop since_ Saren _and now you don't have the time to talk about saving the galaxy?_  John opened his mouth, about to interject, when the councilor continued speaking.

"So, no. The asari will not be at your summit."

He took a deep breath. "Our alliance would be stronger with the krogan. You need them. We all do."

"Good luck, Commander," she said, nose in the air, completely ignoring his statement. "And goodbye."

" _Commander,"_  this time it was Traynor. " _Admiral Hackett is available for you on vidcom."_

"Patch him through," he ordered Traynor, standing at attention for his superior.

"Commander, have you retrieved the Primarch for your summit?"

"Yes, sir," John answered. "But the asari are staying on the sidelines."

"They'll regret that. The time for unity is now," Hackett said in his "I'm giving a speech" voice that always made Jane snicker.

"The salarians will be there, though," John offered, pretending to be hopeful, but knowing the Dalatrass would likely be a problem.

"You don't sound very optimistic," Hackett observed, seeing through his feeble attempt.

"We expect the krogan will be joining us, too," John let Hackett put two and two together.

Hackett took his time responding. "I see," he said slowly. "Well, then, you've got your hands full, Commander," he continued dubiously. They launched into a discussion of the war and preparations before ending the conversation. Hearing Hackett put things in such bald terms – _the greatest military loss in human history_  – was sobering.

Leaving the QEC room, John wandered over to Victus's side. The Primarch was pouring over the same display that he and Garrus had been looking at earlier.

"Commander, thank you for allowing me the use of your ship. And for going along with this plan. Garrus said he had to attend to the ship's weapon systems. Something about calibrations," Victus said as he turned away from the display to face the Commander.

"That's Garrus," John answered, grinning. His face fell. "I'm sorry to say the asari councilor won't be joining us. She thinks there's too much bad blood with the krogan."

"She may be right," Victus sighed. "But there'll be a lot more blood – real blood – if we don't try."

"When you put it that way…" John shrugged.

"And the sooner we have this summit, the sooner we'll know," Victus said with finality. "Was there something else I could help you with?"

John brought up reinforcements for earth, and he and Victus chatted about the war. Victus was in the same boat as John, stressed and struggling over having left their home planets with the intent of saving them. The similarities between the two planets – the losses, the battle – were staggeringly similar. It painted a bleak picture.

As he left the war room, the lights dimmed around him, and Joker's voice flooded his comm.

"Commander! EDI just went offline," Joker said, his voice stressed.

John paused for a moment. "What do you  _mean_  offline?"

"I don't know. She's not responding and I can't access the AI Core diagnostics," Joker answered. "You'd better get down to Deck 3."

John strode quickly towards the elevator. Joker had grown very fond of the ship's AI, and John was worried about the implications. There seemed to be true affection between the two, and while John would never let fraternization rules get in the way of a relationship, but he had to know that the relationship wouldn't affect the crew's working relationship.

He held himself to a similar standard. Kaidan had watched his back to make sure that his … thing with Liara hadn't changed his leadership style. Thankfully, Kaidan hadn't had to speak up once. Miranda had only brought up it up to say it was nice to see him looking so relaxed for once.

"Commander, comm systems are going haywire," Traynor reported as John walked by towards the elevator. She turned her head towards him, fingers flying across the controls of her station from memory. "Whatever is happening is centered on Deck 3."

"See if you can get through to EDI," John answered. "I'm going to check the AI Core."

"I'm trying to restart the systems, but something's blocking me," Traynor sounded almost irritated, like she was being bothered by an annoying fly. "Whatever's happening, it has taken EDI offline."

John nodded, and stepped into the elevator. He worried for the ship's AI. It startled John to realize that he considered the glowing blue orb to be a friend.

Jogging into the medbay, he glanced towards Dr. Michel, who was cowering in the corner, and ran over to the AI Core doors. Two security guards were standing in front of the doors with oxygen masks and fire extinguishers in hand. A strange sound was coming from behind the closed doors.

"What's that noise, Joker?" John snapped, not wanting to storm the room without as much information as possible.

"Fire extinguishers, Commander," Joker replied. "Could be an electrical fire… Or something…"

After scanning the room, one of the guards gave John the all-clear sign.

"I'm going in," John decided, and gestured for the guard to open the door.

The doors opened to reveal smoke filling the room dramatically. One of the guards sprayed his fire extinguisher before giving John the room to move forward.

"EDI? Talk to me," John ordered. The AI processor lights came back on. John glanced around, concerned, but not yet panicked.

His jaw slowly dropped as the steady footsteps announced her presence, and Dr. Coré's chassis stepped out of the cloud of smoke.

"Was there a particular topic you wished to discuss, Shepard?" The chassis replied in EDI's voice, with a serene look on her face.

"EDI?" John asked, his voice incredulous.

The AI looked back at him, and smiled. "Yes."

John's eyes shut as EDI explained to John how she'd transferred a portion of her processors towards the mobile platform. The headache that had started to throb outside the conference room flared as he struggled to wrap his head around the now mobile AI who would still be  _everywhere_  in the ship.

He replied to her comments absently, asking her questions as he tried to decide how to phrase the message he would have to send to Hackett.

_Admiral Hackett,_

_The illegal, unshackled AI I have running all the cyberwarfare suites, operational software and communications aboard the Normandy, not to mention my entire life, is now running around my ship in an indestructible killer robot body._

_Please advise._

"Joker will also want to see it," EDI mused as she looked down at herself.

"On that we can agree," John said ruefully. He turned to follow EDI out of the AI Core, wondering what else this day could throw at him. He shook his head again, watching EDI saunter through the medbay, completely bemused by the hot robot now inhabiting the ship.

Joker was going to lose it.

"What the  _fuck…"_

John's gaze snapped up, finding his sister crouched defensively by the medbay door, a small, glittering knife in one hand.

"Jane, relax," he snapped. "It's EDI."

Jane relaxed marginally, eyes darting between the AI and her brother. She straightened, shrugging, then wincing. "Whatever. Dr. Michel? I could use some help," Jane turned to the red haired doctor. "One of the Reaper ground troops cut me."

"What?" John snapped, focusing all his attention on Jane as EDI left to go and see Joker. Jane was paler than normal. He rushed to her side, searching her face. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I knew you'd do this," Jane muttered, letting John lead her to a hospital bed. "Seriously, John. It isn't a big deal. The brute got me. My suit is programmed to fill any holes or rends with a flexible polymer, and sometimes taking it off rips open the wounds underneath. I'm just being careful, taking it off under doctor's supervision."

"Sit down," Dr. Michel ordered with a sigh.

"But you're coming to the medbay without anyone telling you to," John insisted, offering to help Jane climb up. "You're not that responsible."

Jane scowled at her brother, batting away his hands. "Fuck you. Twenty and believing I am invincible are a decade behind me."

"Jane," he warned, sending a significant glance over her shoulder towards Dr. Michel. He pretended he didn't see her eye-roll.

Jane hopped up on the bed with a faint grimace as John sheepishly retracted his hands. "Look, Commander, I'm a different person than the one you knew back in the day," Jane grinned. "If there's a qualified medic or doctor aboard and I need medical attention, I will seek it out. Pinky promise."

John shook his head, and glared at her. "You're getting reasonable in your old age, Jane. You were much less agreeable when we were younger. I don't know if I like this new reliable you."

Jane snickered and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"No more reminiscing," Dr. Michel interjected, taking Jane's shoulders from behind. "We have to get your arms free without disturbing where the polymer adheres to the skin on your back."

Jane sent the doctor a smile. "Just like old times, huh, Chloe?" The red-haired doctor sent Jane a fond grin.

"You two know each other?" John asked, looking between the two women.

"Hmmm," Dr. Michel gestured for Jane to unzip her suit, revealing a hot pink sports bra beneath. "Commander, could you please help me get her arms free? I'm going to hold up the back."

John helped Jane get her arms free from her suit as Dr. Michel made sure the wound on Jane's back didn't suffer any trauma.

"Good," Dr. Michel stated once Jane's arms were free. "Jane, lay down on your stomach please," Dr. Michel instructed. "Commander, thank you for your assistance, but you may go now."

Jane snorted out a laugh at the abrupt dismissal and the look on John's face. "Come see me later," she offered, still grinning and waved him away.

He hesitated briefly, watching as Dr. Michel gathered some supplies on a tray. Jane had turned her head to face Dr. Michel, and the soft murmur of Jane's voice carried to him – but not the words.

Dr. Michel laughed at something Jane said. As she laughed, her eyes glanced up met John's over his sister's prone form.

"Was there something else I could help you with, Commander?" Dr. Michel asked, arching a thin eyebrow gracefully.

"No, Doctor. Thank you. Carry on," John said magnanimously, grinning when he heard Jane's snort of amusement.

Leaving the medbay quickly, John turned sharply towards the battery. He scowled as he rounded the corned and spotted the shuttered medbay windows. Dr. Michel must have darkened them as soon as he left, determined to prevent him from spying.

Garrus was speaking with the Primarch over the comm as John walked into the battery.

The turian vigilante was fiddling with a control panel on the Thanix, one hand holding a scanning tool steadily. His gaze was in the middle distance that meant he was reading the HUD on his Kuwashii visor, as he spoke to the Primarch about ships and losses. When Garrus cut the comm with Victus, John folded his arms and leaned on the railing that ran the length of the cannon.

"The Primarch is really relying on you, huh?"

Garrus chuckled, sending John a slightly haughty look, marred only by the self-deprecating eye-roll John knew so well. "Expert on the Reapers, Shepard. Remember?"

"Didn't waste any time getting to work, I see," John observed, grinning at his friend, absurdly pumped Garrus was along for the ride again. If Jane was going to keep things interesting, Garrus was going to keep it fun. Add Tali to the mix, and facing the end of the universe wouldn't be nearly as bad. "After Menae, I'd think you'd want to put your feet up and take a breather, or something."

"After what I've been through lately," Garrus said dryly, casting his gaze towards the Thanix, "calibrating a giant gun  _is_  a vacation. And it gives me something to focus on instead of… Well, instead of the fact that my planet is burning and my people are dying."

"Well, we're going to need you for more than your aim, so hold on to that feeling to fuel you through the fight," John crossed his arms, sending the turian a worried gaze, picking up on the sad subharmonics when Garrus spoke of his people.

"Oh, I'm ready for the fight," Garrus reassured him, his tone frank. "But I'm pretty sure we're still going to need giant fucking guns. And lots of them. What you saw back on Palaven is proof of that," Garrus hesitated, and suddenly couldn't quite meet John's eyes. "I still can't completely convince myself that I should have left it behind."

"Yeah," John agreed, the small grin falling from his face, completely understanding the turian's perspective. It was a relief he didn't have to worry about Garrus almost starting a brawl over being pissed over leaving his home planet like James had after leaving Earth. "Leaving Earth was … tough. But I need you at your best, Garrus. Hell, you  _are_  the expert Reaper advisor to the Palaven Hierarchy," John cracked a small grin and shrugged.

"Convincing my people the end was coming got pretty rough," Garrus confessed, shaking his head. "They didn't want to hear it. Finally gave me a task force as a token to shut me up."

"Gotta love it when they placate you like that, huh?" John snorted, meeting Garrus's eye as they grinned at each other.

"Yeah, well. Just followed your example, Shepard. Yell loud enough and someone will eventually come over to see what all the fuss is about." He paused, letting out a long breath. "Not that they'll actually… do anything about it."

John laughed quietly. "Well. At least, not until hell shows up at their door. Then they put you in charge."

"Kind of makes me miss the old days," Garrus admitted, his tone wry. "But we're actually respectable now."

"Respect comes with a lot of sleepless nights," John sighed, his mind flashing to the little boy from his dreams. "I can't even… How many lives are depending on us, Garrus?"

"Well, when things are looking grim – and I'm pretty sure that they will – just remember that a certain turian friend of yours isn't sleeping any better, and he'd be more than happy to meet you at the bar and drink you under the table," Garrus sent him a familiar cocky grin.

"Good, I'm going to need a drink tonight," John admitted. "I have some dextro-safe beer stocked, and I'm pretty sure that Joker generously remembered turian brandy."

"You know," Garrus reached under one of the consoles, pulling out a bottle of high-end brandy. "There are benefits to being an  _expert reaper advisor."_

John laughed. "Look, there was something I wanted to ask you-"

Garrus held up a hand, forestalling him. "If you're reminding me not to tell anyone about Jane, don't worry, I won't. And if you're going to ask me to keep an eye on her so that you can relax a bit in battle, well… I already am. Don't worry about it."

John nodded, letting out a breath. There weren't many people he trusted, fewer still he trusted more than Garrus. "Thanks. I haven't heard from Mom since the Reapers invaded, and I just…"

"I know. Dad and my sister Sol. I haven't heard from for long enough that I'm worried," Garrus shrugged, then laughed. "Doesn't matter how many problems you have with your family, when they're in danger…"

"Yeah," John agreed. "I should go. Two hours? Port Observation Lounge?"

"Grab Joker – and what's that marine's name? The one in the cargo bay with the arms. He was telling your shuttle pilot how he's been craving a game of Skyllian 5. And the pilot, too," Garrus winked. "We'll take them for everything they're worth."

John grinned and clapped Garrus on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm glad you're here."

"I've been with you since the beginning, Shepard. And I wouldn't miss this fight for anything. Where else would I be?" Garrus replied with a grin before turning back to the control panel in front of him. "Now. I'm sure somebody screwed up down here. I'm going to get the old girl back into fighting shape."

John left Garrus alone to work on his calibrations. He poked his head back into the medbay.

"She went back to Life Support, Commander," Dr. Michel looked over her shoulder from where she sat at the desk. "It wasn't very bad," she informed him. "No need to take Jane off active duty, all she needs is a good night's sleep."

"How do you two know each other?" John asked again, leaning against the doorway.

"I've patched her up a few times after some of her missions," Dr. Michel replied evasively.

"I see," John replied, determined to ask Jane about it now. "Well. Have a nice evening, Dr. Michel. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Commander."

John left the medbay, heading immediately for Life Support.

"Wondered how long it would take you to get here," Jane greeted from where she was sitting on her cot, legs crossed, suit in her lap and tools across her bed. She was wearing an oversized N7 tee-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"You OK?"

"Yeah, it was just a scratch," she grinned. "Almost done with this," she gestured at the suit in her hands.

"Fix it in the morning, Jane," John ordered, snatching the suit from her hands.

"John," she said in a warning tone, reaching her hands towards her suit impatiently. "Give it back."

"Does it have to be fixed  _right_  away?" John asked.

"No, but-"

"Then go to sleep, fix it in the morning," John put the suit down on her desk, and turned to face his sister. "Be lucky I'm not taking you off active duty and forcing you to get some rest."

"You're an overbearing worrywart," Jane complained. "Now, be a good big brother, and tuck me in." Jane slipped under the blankets on the cot, pulling the blankets tight to her chin.

John sat down on the edge of her cot. Jane grinned up at him, her eyes drowsy. "EDI? Lights to 15%." The ambient light in Life Support dimmed until the room was dark and shadowy.

"Remember the nightlight?"

"That creepy monkey?" John laughed.

"He wasn't creepy," Jane protested, her eyes drifting shut. "He was happy."

"He looked like he wanted to eat us. And his eyes glowed red," John shook his head. "I still have nightmares."

Jane smiled. "I miss that monkey," she whispered.

"Get some sleep, Jane," John whispered. It didn't take long for Jane's eyes to drift shut. Her breathing got quieter, and her face relaxed. John gazed down at her fondly. She looked younger in her sleep, the vulnerability she displayed in sleep making something protective twist inside him.

It wasn't until much later that he finally left her side to head to the loft to change into some civvies for drinks and cards with his crew, leaving his sister to her dreams.

When John slipped out of Life Support, he walked straight into Liara.

"Tucking in the Lieutenant?" Liara asked archly, straightening and putting her hands on her hips.

John gave the asari a level look. "You're walking a fine line, Liara. This may not be an exclusively Alliance ship, but I expect you to respect and follow the chain of command," he warned.

Her gaze turned momentarily flinty, and he could see her fighting with herself. Finally she sighed, and cast her eyes to the floor. "Yes, sir," she murmured.

"Good," he looked at her for a long moment.  _I'm going to have to tell her,_  he realized suddenly, and glanced back at Life Support. "Liara…" he began, meeting her suddenly hopeful eyes. The look on her face – almost supplicating – made him feel uncomfortable, and he turned to the elevator. "Have a good night," he said, nodding at Liara over his shoulder, stepping into the elevator gratefully.

As the doors closed in front of him, he sighed. "Thanks, EDI," he said softly. The doors to the elevator had hissed open before he'd even touched the holopad to call it. "Glad to see your new body isn't distracting you from what's really important."

"It would be unseemly for the commander to have to wait for the elevator after so clearly dismissing his crew," EDI replied, her voice amused and apologetic. "I would never sacrifice that much of my processing speed to this mobile platform. My elevators are yours to command."

John grinned and leaned back as he waited for the elevator to arrive in the Loft.

"Also, Comm Specialist Traynor has requested I remind you not to forget the messages on your private terminal," EDI said sweetly.

John groaned.


	7. Chapter 7

**2164**

_Jane scowled at her front door on her way back from school. Another eviction notice._

" _Pat!" Jane called out as she walked into the apartment, fisting the pink paper in her left hand. "Pat, did you forget to pay the rent again?"_

" _Shut_ up _," Sean, her foster brother, hissed. "She and Keith just fell asleep."_

_Jane turned to him, one fist on her hip. "We're getting evicted," she said, her voice suddenly helpless. "What are we gonna do?"_

_Sean glanced away, looking suddenly nervous. "You know Barry?"_

" _From the Reds?" Jane gasped. "He's bad news, Sean. I heard he beat up a little girl to teach her old brother a lesson."_

_Sean shrugged. "He can pay good money for us to do small jobs for him." His forehead creased. "Pat's not making money. We're the oldest now, Singer, we have to take care of everyone."_

_Jane sighed, feeling trapped. She closed her eyes and wished John were still alive. No matter what Pat said, Jane knew that if John were still alive, he'd have come for her by now._

_She was alone in the world. It was time to take control of her life. "Set it up," Jane said, steeling her voice with a confidence she didn't feel._

* * *

_Barry glanced down at Jane. "How old are you?"_

" _Eight," Jane replied, arms crossed defensively in front of her chest._

" _Eight, huh?" Barry leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "You smart?"_

_Jane nodded eagerly. "I get As in school," she told him. "I like science."_

" _OK, I don't want your fucking report card, kid. I'm gonna set you up in the shop," Barry grinned. "You're gonna learn how to rip apart vehicles, safes, guns… mechs… If you're good at it, kid, you'll go far with the Reds."_

_Jane glanced at him nervously, then met Sean's eyes. He was nodding at her encouragingly, so she gave the older boy a terse nod._

" _When do I start?" Jane asked him._

_Barry grinned. "Right now, kid."_

* * *

_Jane returned home after her first shift in the Reds' laboratory, neck sore and back aching. She'd learned more than she'd every thought possible about alarm technology during the six hours she'd hunched over a workbench next to the smelly and oil-stained head scientist of the lab. Cleanliness and sterile conditions didn't matter to the tall, thin boy. When Jane was yawning more than helping, he'd turned her around to face the door._

" _Get outta here," he'd grunted. "Good job. Name's Jethro, by the way."_

_As Jane walked up the block to her apartment building, she was surprised by the cop cars surrounding the building._

" _Pat!" Jane screamed when she spotted the short black woman, huddled in the arms of her current boyfriend Keith._

_Pat turned and spotted Jane, then dropped to her knees, crying. "Jane," she sobbed. "Sean… did you know he'd joined the Reds?"_

_Jane stared at her foster mom in shock. "No, Pat," she lied, terrified. "What happened?"_

" _He was caught robbing an apartment," Keith said, his voice bored. "He's in juvie now. Good riddance, I say," he snorted. "One less mouth to feed."_

_Jane scowled at the older man, hands on her hips. Even though Jethro smelled, and Barry was creepy, they'd welcomed Jane and Sean with open arms._

_She'd go back the next day._

**2186**

"Lieutenant."

Jane glanced up from where she was hunched over a workbench in the cargo bay to meet Garrus Vakarian's eyes. "Oh, hey," she said with an easy grin, straightening and stretching to work out the soreness in her spine from too long bent over. "I'm surprised Victus didn't require you for the summit. You seem to be spending all your off-time glued to his side."

Garrus sauntered closer, and leaned against the bench. The turian was clearly in the cargo bay to work out, wearing a pair of technical looking pants that were fitted tightly over his calf-spurs and a fitted sleeveless shirt. Jane glanced at his muscled arms idly, corded with lean bands of muscle that flexed and rippled as he moved.

"Leaders only in the conference room right now," he shrugged. "Saw the Dalatrass and Wrex come aboard, gave Adrien a few pointers on how to deal with Wrex. He's the Primarch. It's his party, not mine."

Jane snorted. "I'd give anything to be a fly on the wall," she grinned. "Have you  _met_  the salarian Dalatrass? What a cunt."

Garrus stared at her blankly. "I have met the Dalatrass, but I have no idea why you would want to be an insect, or what a … cunt is."

"Fly on the wall? It's a human saying, just means I'd love to be able to see and hear what is going on without anyone noticing I'm there," Jane explained. "Cunt is a slang term for a certain part of human female anatomy," she grinned lewdly, and laughed. "It isn't a particularly complimentary term but it is a great one to use when talking about someone like the salarian Dalatrass."

He nodded to demonstrate his understanding. "You humans have the strangest sayings," he shook his head.

"Yo, Scars! You gonna flirt with Lola all day, or are you gonna come and dance with me?" James called from the other end of the cargo bay, his voice simultaneously annoyed and amused.

Garrus's mandibles fluttered slightly, and he looked at Jane with an awkward shrug. "Uh…"

She grinned again, amused at James's choice of words and Garrus's sudden awkwardness. "Have fun  _dancing_  with James," she teased. "John mentioned you're into tech, I'm working on adding some mods to my suit if you want to help when you're done."

Instantly, Garrus looked interested, glancing at the various pieces of tech scattered across her workbench. "Are those the new gauntlets from Cipritine Armory?"

Picking them up, she nodded with a wide grin. "Yeah, hot off the presses," she enthused. "Increases shields, especially against biotic damage."

" _Scars!_  C'mon, man, let's go, _"_ James called again.

Garrus glanced back towards James, looking guilty, before his eyes went back to the tech longingly.

"I'll be working on this for another hour or two at least," Jane offered, her voice amused. "Go play with your friend."

He snorted in response, and jogged towards James. Rolling her eyes, Jane turned back to the table in front of her, focusing on the work in front of her.

John had magnanimously covered her shift for the day so she could recover from her minor injury. Despite a fairly stern order to  _rest_ , the free time was giving her the chance to install much-needed upgrades to her suit. She'd already commandeered the empty space under engineering to set up a fire-wash application set-up. After installing the new tech, Jane was planning on heading there to spray down the outside of her light armor with the wash.

With a deep breath, Jane turned on the soldering iron, and slipped on a variation of a Mnemonic Visor. A few years back, Jane had spent a few days with an Aegohr Munitions engineer to reprogram the visor with magnification features. More importantly, he'd repurposed the visor to read data from pieces of tech instead of monitoring the tactics read from a fired up her omnitool, and activated a program she'd written for identifying the various components to tech upgrades. When she'd been younger, Jane had used a similar omnitool program to dismantle alarm systems. Now she used it to extract the specific bits of technology from pieces of armor and upgrades.

Her program activated the HUD on the Mnemonic, highlighting the wires and circuit boards pertinent to the biotic damage protection. A connection at Cipritine had sent her the blue prints for the gauntlets when she'd cashed in a favor, and she'd spent much of the morning pouring over them and programming her omnitool with the plans.

With practiced ease, she skillfully extracted the tech, vaguely aware of James and Garrus taunting each other, their sparring match growing increasingly heated.

"C'mon, Vega!" Cortez made his way over to where they were sparring.

A few other crew made their way to watch the pair fight, but Jane remained focused on the wires and smoking solder in front of her. She'd decided to transfer the tech to the same spot in her suit as in the gauntlets, and was planning on reinforcing the forearms to protect the new tech. She'd requisitioned some lightweight hardened ceramic plating formed to spec as soon as she'd received the blue prints. Hopefully, they would be ready to be picked up the next time the Normandy docked at the Citadel. Jane hoped it was soon, she wanted to install the new armored pieces as soon as possible. Until then, she'd have to refrain from entering into hand-to-hand combat.

"Vakarian!"

Jane glanced up when her brother's voice boomed over what had turned into cheers for the sparring match between Garrus and James. John was stalking towards the small crowd and the sparring pair, looking surprisingly believable as a representative of both the Alliance and Council in his dress blues.

Jane smirked, remembering the last time John drank so much he passed out and barfed down his shirt. She could hardly recognize that version of this man right now, John was so polished and proper looking.

Garrus glanced up and spotted John. An expression passed over his face that Jane couldn't identify, but he seemed to make a decision, and kicked out at James with stunning speed. Her eyes widened as Garrus took James down easily, making her think he'd been playing with the muscled marine and could have ended the combat at any time. The look on James's face was stunned and priceless, making Jane grin.

As soon as James was a wheezing mass on the cargo bay's floor, Garrus straightened and turned towards John, who was taking off his jacket and toeing off his boots.

"Sir?" Garrus asked, standing at attention, suddenly an obedient soldier.

John glanced at the crowd in the cargo bay, his eyes flinty and hard. "Everyone else out," he snapped. "Now."

Jane leaned back on the workbench, crossing her arms over her chest. She had no intention of leaving, but the rest of the crew cleared out in seconds, leaving the cargo bay empty but for the three of them.

John glanced back at Jane absently, before focusing on the turian in front of him. "Fight me," John snarled suddenly, and without any more warning, launched himself at Garrus, fists flying.

Jane put down the soldering iron and removed the visor, setting the new upgrades aside. After making sure nothing would disturb the recently extracted tech, Jane made her way over to the two. Garrus had managed to get his arms up fast enough to block the flurry of punches John opened with, and with a muted roar pushed John back and away.

Jane narrowed her eyes at her brother from where she stood watching. His hand-to-hand usually had more finesse.

He must be  _pissed,_  Jane surmised,but he was no less dangerous. Garrus wasn't holding back either, and the two exchanged blows, blocks and kicks with impressive speed and strength. The brute force they put behind their blows was impressive – Jane always got by on agility and speed, strength didn't come to her naturally.

"Did you know the genophage has been going on for 1,476 years?" John snarled, lashing out wildly with a punch that Garrus deflected easily.

"I wondered if Wrex's terms would include something to do with the genophage," Garrus replied mildly, returning the punch with a blow to John's stomach. John managed to twist out of the way with a second to spare.

"Cure," John snapped. "Wrex wants his cure. And I can't fucking blame him. 1,476  _years_ , Garrus."

Their sparring was everything and nothing like their fighting side-by-side in battle. Each anticipated the other's moves, blocking every punch before it could land. It wasn't exactly hot, like she'd assumed. James had called fighting dancing. Between these two she could see it – their fighting was so smooth it looked choreographed.

"Been practicing, scar-face?" John panted out, ducking under a blow, following through with a powerful uppercut that Garrus blocked before releasing a kick at John's legs.

"You're too confident," Garrus grinned when John avoided his sweeping kick. "Someone needs to bring you down a peg."

Jane snorted at their banter, her eyes sharp on the turian. He was relaxed, but moved with a controlled grace Jane envied. John wasn't as controlled or strong, but he was faster and angrier, which gave him an edge.

Garrus landed the first blow and drew first blood, striking John with a quick jab to the nose. John danced back, eyes watering, and wiped at the stream of blood that was now dripping from his nose.

"Fuck, Garrus," John pressed his hands carefully to the bridge of his nose. "I yield."

"Sorry, Shepard," Garrus shrugged. "I thought you'd dodge."

John shook his head to clear it, splattering droplets of blood around him. "Didn't even see it coming," John remarked, pressing at his nose some more.

"Is it needing to cure the genophage or the Dalatrass that's getting you down, Johnnie boy?" Jane called to John, raising an eyebrow.

John glanced at her, and his eyebrows creased slightly. Wiping against at his nose again, he let out a laugh. "She's such a bitch," John turned to Garrus, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Garrus," he let out a long breath.

Garrus nodded, and grinned. "Anytime you want to pick that up again, you know where I am."

Jane handed her brother a clean cloth she had stuck in a tool belt around her waist. "You look like an idiot with a bloody nose. Clean up."

"Thanks," John smiled at her gratefully and pressed the cloth to his nose, glancing back at Garrus. "She called  _me_  a bully.  _Me_ ," John waved his hands in the air, enraged. "Pot? Meet kettle. I'm trying to  _save_  the galaxy. The Dalatrass? I don't know where she stands. Or why she thinks the krogan would be a bigger threat than the Reapers? It makes no sense. And here I thought salarians were supposed to be smart." John paused, wincing. "Fuck, Garrus, you might've broken my nose,"

Jane watched as the turian sent John a satisfied, amused look. "Yeah, that was a good spar, Shepard – or should I be calling you Johnnie-boy?"

"I know of several handy airlocks, Vakarian," John replied, his face completely serious. The severity of his tone was somewhat diminished by the smear of blood under his nose, the watering eyes and the reddened, swollen nose.

"Did you know our commander was a psychopath, Jane?" Garrus countered quickly, sending Jane an amused look.

"According to Kaidan, I'm the psychopath of the Normandy," Jane joked in return, her face suddenly falling when she thought about the sentinel. "Hey, how is he doing, anyways?"

John shrugged, his body relaxed, and Jane sighed in relief. If John were truly worried, he would tense up, tighten and draw in. "I don't know. Breathing, last I saw him. He's stubborn, and a fighter, so I'm pretty sure he'll be OK." He narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Hey, I thought I told you to take the day off."

Jane shrugged. "Couldn't resist the opportunity." She gestured back over her shoulder. "Upgrades."

John glared at her a moment longer before turning to face Garrus. "We're going to Sur'Kesh," he informed the turian. "Wrex received intelligence that some krogan females survived Maelon's research on Tuchanka."

"You're kidding," Garrus replied, surprised. "His methods were brutal, I can't believe anyone could survive that."

"The STG found them, and took them back to Sur'Kesh – supposedly to save their lives," John glanced up. "Garrus… They're immune to the genophage. They're the  _key_  to curing the disease."

"Heading straight there, then?" Garrus asked.

John nodded, pulling the cloth away and .

"What's our ETA?"

"Less than an hour," John informed him. "I want you on my ground squad, so go suit up."

Garrus nodded, and glanced at Jane. "Rain check on the tech upgrades?"

She nodded and waved as Garrus stepped into the elevator, and turned to her brother.

"How are you feeling?"

Jane grinned at John. "Good to go, Commander."

"How long can you stay in full cloak?" John asked, looking at his sister's suit.

"Indefinitely," Jane answered, cocking her head at him in curiosity. "Provided I don't use any other tech. I'll come out of cloak if I fire anything else up."

"Ever infiltrated an STG Base?"

Jane grinned. "Once or twice," she replied. " _Very_  unofficially, of course."

"I've read your official file, Jane," John snorted. "According to the Alliance you've done nothing other than paperwork for the last three years. Everything you do is unofficial."

"Official channels are boring," Jane grinned again, but fell silent when she caught to look her brother was sending her.

"The rules and procedures are there for a reason, Jane," John said, frowning.

"I don't need or want a lecture from you, John," Jane raised her eyebrows. "I know how moralistic you are, how important the rules are to you, John, but sometimes shit needs to get done outside of official channels. It's just the way the galaxy works."

John let out a short huff of breath. "Doesn't mean I have to like the idea of you … acting outside of official channels."

"You were asking me about infiltrating an STG Base." Jane pointed out quietly. "I assume this line of questioning is outside the official channels?"

John had the good sense to look slightly abashed, and ducked his head apologetically. "Sorry, Janey," he shrugged. "I want you with us on the ground, under full cloak. You'll follow us until we reach the krogan females, and then you are  _not to leave their sides,_  unless it is unavoidable to save them. Understood?"

"Understood," Jane replied, pulling herself to attention.

"Liara and Garrus will be with me ground-side as my official team – they won't know you're there," John continued. "I don't have clearance for anyone other than my team, and I won't split us up unless I absolutely have to."

"Got it, sir," Jane replied automatically. "I'll go get ready, cloak and wait in the shuttle."

John sent her an approving look. "EDI, set up a secure comm between Jane and I, and have Jane patched into our comms so she an hear what is going on."

"Right away, Commander," EDI replied.

Jane scooped up her suit and stepped into the elevator alongside her brother.

* * *

Jane stood silently in the corner of the shuttle, hidden under a full cloak. Thankfully, the cloaking device also blocked her scent from the turian and krogan a few feet away. Her HUD was active, scrolling the specs on the STG Base. Jane read the details idly, feeling confident she new the layout of the base and was ready for whatever they had to offer her.

"This is the salarian homeworld we heading to," John was warning Wrex carefully. "They're not used to seeing krogan there, so let's keep it simple. We land, get the females and leave before anyone changes their minds."

"I still don't trust a word they say," Wrex replied, sounding irritated. Jane laughed inwardly. She didn't blame the giant krogan for his distrust of the salarians.

"Let diplomacy play out, Wrex," John sighed. He sounded tired, Jane thought. It was strange to be an invisible observer of people she liked and respected. Spying on strangers and enemies was easier. "You'll get what you want."

Wrex looked away, showing a moment of worry. It looked strange on him. "These female are the best and probably last hope for my people," he explained simply, years of pain coloring his words.

"We'll bring them back Wrex, don't worry," Liara moved from the cockpit to stand next to John, sending the krogan a sympathetic look. It suddenly hit Jane that these four had all sought out Saren on the original Normandy. It was somewhat staggering, realizing that her brother, Wrex and Garrus had been on the Citadel, had taken down Saren, saved the council.

Jane remembered reading the news about her brother, fiercely proud. She'd sent him, in a rare moment of free time during her N3 certification, a brief, annoyed and congratulatory message when she'd heard. The next thing she knew, the vids were blazing with the news that Commander Shepard was dead.

"I appreciate that, Liara," Wrex replied, his face softening somewhat at the young asari. "I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."

Garrus coughed pointedly several times, drawing the krogan's attention.

"I suppose I could make room for you, too, Garrus," the huge krogan chuckled.

"Figured you'd gone soft sitting on your throne, forgot how to hold a gun," Garrus replied, amused. Wrex sent the turian a grin, then chuckled.

"Commander, I have the salarian base on sensors," Cortez said quietly from the cockpit.

"Set her down," John ordered.

The shuttle moved through the air towards the base's loading bay, hovering over the pad, prepared to land, when an alarm went off on Cortez's control panels. Jane peeked around the corner into the cockpit, looking for the source of the alarm before ducking narrowly out of her brother's way.

"Commander, salarian ground control says we don't have clearance to land," Cortez suddenly exclaimed.

"Tell them Dalatrass authorized this herself," Shepard snapped, his voice suddenly tense.

"I knew they'd never keep their word," Wrex snarled, slapping the holopad controlling the shuttle doors. "Let's see them try to stop a krogan airdrop," he said as the door opened.

"Wrex!" John shouted from the cockpit of the shuttle, but couldn't move fast enough to stop the krogan warlord. Wrex hurtled himself out of the shuttle with a yell, landing with a loud thud.

Jane cursed silently, and jumped lightly after him. She crouched low, staying close to Wrex, prepared to drop her cloak and extend her shields to envelope the krogan leader if necessary. She watched the two STG guards closely, waiting for them to make a move and require her intervention.

"We have an unauthorized… landing," one of the STG guards snapped.

"And who authorized  _you_  to hold my race hostage?" Wrex accused before activating his biotics and throwing the pair of soldiers across open loading bay. Pulling out his assault rifle, Wrex took two menacing steps forward before freezing at the sight of the red laser sights on his chest. Jane followed the lasers to spot two snipers standing on a rooftop nearby.

They wouldn't just be deadly at that range. Wrex's head would be pulverized, krogan redundant nervous system or not.

Jane watched the snipers intently, looking for any sign they were about to fire. She only wanted to reveal herself if it was absolutely necessary.

John jumped out of the shuttle, followed closely by Liara and Garrus. Jane relaxed marginally. Her brother had a way of calming people down.

"Halt!" Reinforcements had arrived, and bravery came in the form of many.

"Stand down! Hold your fire!" An urgent yell was heard, and all STG soldiers glanced back at the darkly armored salarian running towards them with a concerned look on his face. "Commander Shepard, restrain your colleague!" The salarian pleaded. "We only found out about the transfer a few moments ago!"

Jane moved away from the krogan then, confident in her brother's ability to diffuse the tense situation. She was right, and moments later, even Urdnot Wrex had holstered his weapon and agreed to be held under STG guard.

The loading bay was a busy place, salarians working on vehicles, surrounded by giant containment pods being moved about.

Garrus and Liara were staring in horror at one of those containment pods. This one housed a giant, terrifying looking alien. The alien attacked the containment field, causing the soldier guarding it to shout out in alarm.

"Careful of the yahg!"

"I'd hoped to never see one of those again," Liara said quietly to Garrus. Jane glanced curiously between the two, watching as Garrus sent Liara an amused grin.

Jane touched her comm and spoke quietly as John continued to speak about the base with Padok Wiks. "I'm going to look around."

She started moving silently about the open loading bay of the STG Base, listening in on conversations as she went. Learning nothing of consequence from her eavesdropping, Jane paid more attention to John as he spoke with an STG Captain named Kirrahe. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

It came back to her when she overheard John mentioning Virmire, and realized this was the STG Captian Ashley Williams had died to protect. Jane moved closer to the foursome, looking at the salarian with more curiosity. Salarian emotions were fascinating. Jane wondered if he felt survivor's guilt or not.

When John went to talk with Padok Wiks again, she moved closer to his side, not wanting to stray too far until they found the krogan females. Jane listened to John and Wiks absently as they discussed the females, btu her attention was diverted by Liara and Garrus'c conversation.

"Garrus, I haven't really had the chance to speak to you since you rejoined the crew," Liara smiled fondly at the turian. "It is nice having you aboard."

"Thanks, Liara," Garrus shifted, his eyes still focused on Wiks and John.

"I was so sorry to hear about your mother," Liara spoke quietly, laying a gentle hand on his arm, her eyes wide and sympathetic. "If you ever need to talk about it…"

"Thanks, Liara," Garrus sighed. "She's… The treatment didn't take. She knew who we were for a few days, and then the delirium just set in," Garrus shrugged. "We knew it was a long shot. Those few days were a gift."

Liara squeezed his arm, her face soft. "I'm so sorry."

"Let's go," John said quietly, returning to his ground squad. Garrus and Liara entered into formation behind him, and followed their commander to the elevators. The scanners read John and confirmed his identity, turning the holopad green and allowed the threesome, plus the unseen Jane, to climb aboard the elevator.

John was about to step into the elevator when an alarm went off.

"What's happening?" John demanded, turning to face Wiks. Wiks typed something into his omnitool, squinting in concentration.

Over on the landing pad, salarian ships were powering up and flying away swiftly.

"Sensors have picked up activity on the perimeter," Wiks reported, gesturing for John to enter the elevator. "Hurry, Commander. Someone will meet you below."

John finally climbed into the elevator with a sigh.

The lab was darkly lit, and the slender, slightly awkward salarian staff were rushing about with urgency. John looked around with interest. Jane followed his gaze, seeing the cluster of salarians he was staring at.

"Shepard! Excellent timing!" A salarian doctor – one with a missing horn – exclaimed. "Good to have you here." The salarian grinned, and walked swiftly over to John, Garrus and Liara. Jane stepped back to watch.

"Mordin!" John smiled back, shaking the slender doctor's hand.

"Eyesight still sharp," Mordin teased. "Surprise understandable, hadn't expected to return to work."

Jane shook her head in amusement. John had tried to explain and mimic the salarian's pattern of speech for her several nights ago, but he hadn't done it any justice whatsoever.

"You're back with STG?" Garrus asked, surprised.

"Special consultant," Mordin explained. "Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

He wasn't boasting, Jane could see. He was stating a simple fact. He must be a frighteningly brilliant scientist.

Mordin glanced around, then leaned close to John, pitching his voice low. "Helped krogan female. Fed information to Clan Urdnot. Encouraged political pressure to free females."

"You must be Wrex's inside source," John stated the obvious.

"Yes," Mordin replied, pleased John had caught on. "Can explain later. Security warnings not normal. Need to get offworld for sake of krogan." Mording turned and walked towards several containment pods. "Females had weakened immune systems. Side effect of Maelon's cure," Mording explained as they walked. He paused in front of a containment pod with several covered bodies within. "These didn't survive," Mording said quietly, shame in his voice.

"But what about Maelon's research? I thought we saved it?" John pressed.

"Indeed, data saved, but not complete. Lacks crucial data to reconstruct cure, but still useful for synthesizing from living tissue," Mordin replied, voice still sad. "Couldn't save them."

"I'm sure you did everything you could, Mordin," John said earnestly. Jane cracked a grin. He was such a softie boy scout sometimes.

"Cannot delay now!" Mordin suddenly explained. "One survivor. Immune to genophage. Can synthesize cure from her tissue." The salarian sounded happier when he started talking about the survivor.

He turned swiftly, leading them away from the dead krogan.

"She's still here?" John asked, following closely.

"Yes! Last hope for krogan. If she dies, genophage cure is… problematic," Mordin replied grimly.

John froze in front of the containment pod with surviving female krogan, a look of awe on his face. Jane instantly walked towards the containment pod, and gently pressed one hand to the containment field.

For an extended use of her tactical cloak, Jane pre-activated several settings within her suit. She couldn't activate her omnitool without alerting the salarians around her, so if she held her hand against a shield for a full minute, a low energy-drawing program would activate, modulating her shields to the same frequency of any electrically generated barrier.

One year, in New York, she'd met an old Russian General. He'd taught her about shield and force fields, and how to bypass them. She'd stolen for him, and he'd taken her under his wing… until he'd betrayed her to the cops to save his own ass.

After a few moments, Jane felt the barrier in front of her give, and her invisible hand slipped through the field. Slowly, she slipped inside the containment field, and made her way silently to stand behind the krogan female.

The female and John were speaking, the female's voice deep and eerily calm. Jane glanced up to see Liara scanning the female. "Goddess, what she's been through," Liara said softly, staring at the holographic image her omnitool was projecting.

"Urdnot Wrex and I are here to take you home," John ignored Liara, and spoke softly to the krogan female.

"Why? What am I to you?"

"You're the future of the krogan race," John replied, his voice strong. "I'm fighting for that."

The alarms went off, red lights flashing. Jane crouched at the ready, hovering behind the female. "Then I hope you brought an army," the female said calmly to John over the klaxons.

"Alert, unidentified vessels have breached the perimeter," announced a calm VI.

John turned away from the pod, questioning a soldier on what was going on before getting a call from Wrex reporting that Cerberus was attacking the base.

"Get the females out of there! Now!" Wrex growled over the comm. Jane winced at the volume in her ear.

John suggested keeping the female in the lab, but Wrex refused his suggestion. Jane didn't blame the krogan leader. She wouldn't trust the salarians to keep the female safe, either.

"Release the female," John ordered the salarian soldier he'd been questioning earlier. "We're leaving."

"I can't," the soldier replied. "Protocol states during lockdown no specimen-"

The soldier was silenced when Mordin hit him with an overload.

"Objection noted," he said calmly as the soldier grunted in pain. "Now, please release krogan," he requested reasonably, the arm with his active omnitool gesturing threateningly.

The soldier opened the monitoring station for the pod, and Mordin climbed inside. "Need to monitor pod as it clears quarantine procedures," he informed John before climbing inside. "Meet us at next checkpoint, Shepard. Likely Cerberus opposes genophage cure."

As the containment pod started raising, Jane watched her brother move closer to the krogan female. "You'll see Tuchanka again, I promise," John reassured the female.

"Get to elevator, Shepard!" Mordin snapped, and John turned away.

Soon, Jane was cut off from her colleagues in all ways but sound. She listened with interest as the containment pod moved slowly along.

" _Oh, crap."_  Garrus gasped, his voice shocked.

" _Get back!"_  John shouted. Jane winced as high-pitched feedback flooded the comm channel.

She tensed automatically, but relaxed when the feedback receded and she heard Liara telling John to hurry up and climb a ladder. Jane leaned against the wall of the containment pod, observing the back of the krogan female's head.

Protective detail wasn't always the most interesting kind of work, but at least she wasn't stuck aboard the ship.

" _There goes the next Shadow Broker,"_  John was joking.

" _Could have sworn he was muttering 'T'soni' the whole time,"_  Garrus answered in a teasing tone.

" _Funny,"_  Liara answered back, her voice both amused and annoyed.

Jane drew her eyebrows together at that, wondering what the asari's connection with the Shadow Broker was. T'soni was an information broker of some repute… could she have taken over as the new shadowy information network figurehead.

She thought back to her brother's retelling of the last few years, but he hadn't mentioned anything involving the Shadow Broker.

Her brother was good at keeping other people's secrets, Jane remembered. Even when they were little kids, if Jane had broken something, John  _never_  ratted her out. A sudden suspicion hit Jane.

"Is Liara the  _Shadow Broker?"_  Jane whispered into her comm to her brother. He didn't reply, but he was in the middle of a battle with Cerberus. Her paranoia was likely the least of his concerns.

The containment pod finally arrived at the first checkpoint. It was flooded with Cerberus operatives, all of whom started firing on the containment pod.

"Commander, we've reached the checkpoint," Mordin reported, sounding concerned. "Cerberus troops are here! Containment pod under heavy fire!"

"I'll slip out of the pod to protect her until you get here," Jane breathed quietly to John over the comm. Moving quietly around the female, Jane slipped through the containment field with only a small crackle, her shields still modulated to the field's frequency.

Still invisible, Jane rushed into the fray, snapping one Cerberus Operative's neck before dancing away from them and into cover. After a short moment, Jane ducked out of cover and used a small blade to slit the throat of a Trooper, killing him silently, and laying him down on the floor.

"On it, Mordin," John panted through the comms.

The moment Jane heard her brother's Mattock, she slipped back into the containment pod, moving silently behind the krogan female. John was making quick work of the Cerberus troops, using his squad to their max, but Jane could see Liara was flagging slightly.

"Use a medigel for Leelee," Jane muttered quietly. "She's too stubborn to admit it, and strong enough to ignore it, but she's hurting."

John glanced at the containment pod and back at Liara before activing his omnitool. Liara sighed instantly, and threw out a singularity and warp in rapid succession.

"I know you are here," the female said quietly, startling Jane, who was listening intently to John snap at Liara about keeping her injuries from him. Her rich voice was pitched too low, and was far too soft, for Mordin to hear over the sounds of firefight outside the pod. "I know you've been here since the lab."

"Commander Shepard sent me to keep you safe," Jane replied, her voice pitched low.

"And what do I represent to you, invisible one?"

Jane was silent, watching as John took out the last Cerberus operative with a single bullet to the head.

"Hope," Jane finally replied. "You represent hope."

The female nodded, and resumed her silent vigil.

* * *

When the containment pod reached the final checkpoint, John was already there. Garrus had set up close to the elevators, a new rifle – one Jane didn't recognize – in hand. It appeared to be turian, but looked comically small in the turian's hands.

Regardless of the sniper rifle's size, Garrus was wielding it with deadly efficiency, taking down targets with a single shot. John was rushing about as usual, right in the thick of battle, taking advantage of Liara's powerful singularities to shoot the operatives as they hung there helplessly.

It didn't take long for the team to clear the loading bay. He ran directly to the containment pod, Garrus and Liara close behind.

"Shepard, you must authorize release," Mordin said urgently from inside the pod's monitoring station. "Pod then transfers to loading area."

John nodded, and turned to face the krogan female. "Let's get you out of here," he reassured her, and keyed in the command. The containment pod lurched quickly into motion, and Jane staggered against the krogan's still form.

"Careful, invisible one," she said quietly. "You'll fall out if you aren't careful."

Jane didn't reply, but she did tighten her grip on the krogan's shoulder briefly.

The docking clamps moved to scoop up the containment pod, and started to move it slowly towards the loading area.

" _Shepard! Head's up!"_  Jane heard Wrex's voice flood their comms. " _You've got incoming."_

Jane froze, her gaze searching. She heard a strange whistling sound, and cast her gaze up. A silver flash was all she could recognize before a loud boom accompanied the arrival of a giant atlas mech.

" _Shepard! I can't land until you deal with that thing! It's too dangerous!"_  Wrex's frustration was coming through the comms loud and clear.

"Hang tight," Jane said softly to the krogan female. "They might need my help with this one."

"Get into cover!" John was yelling below, ducking behind a large crate. Garrus and Liara ducked behind cover quickly, seconds before the atlas opened fire on the loading dock.

Slowly, the atlas moved towards John, Garrus and Liara. The ground squad could only get off quick bursts of fire and powers before the atlas would reload and open fire again, his guns ripping devastatingly through their shields.

Jane watched the atlas closely, and slipped through the containment field quickly before crouching on the lip of the pod. She was still invisible, but brought her omnitool online, canceling her cloak and activating her antigrav upgrades. As soon as the atlas moved below the pod, Jane stepped off the edge, dropping lightly onto the canopy of the atlas below. The moment Jane landed, she unsheathed her sword and screamed: " _Garrus, overload! NOW!"_

The turian reacted instantly, popping out of cover to launch a tech mine directly at the atlas mech. The mine sizzled through the atlas's shields, and Jane stabbed her sword down, rapidly activated mobility implants strengthening her downward stab so that her mononuclear blade broke through the glass canopy with ease and buried itself into the brain of the Cerberus operative within.

The operative died intantly, and the atlas mech stopped firing seconds later.

"We did it!" Liara crowed when the atlas went down.

Jane snorted. "We?" She muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, but watch out," Garrus was replying to Liara's comment. "We've still got Cerberus troopers left."

Jane grinned and kicked in the glass canopy, reaching down and pulling out the dead operative within. She jumped into the atlas mech. "EDI, can you patch me into everyone's comms please?"

"Right away, Lieutenant," EDI replied.

"I'll take care of those troopers in a jiffy, Vakarian," Jane joked, activating the atlas's controls and taking out the few remaining troops, whooping at the top of her lungs the whole time.

"Holy shit, you have to try this sometime, Johnnie," Jane crowed, climbing out of the mech. "I love these things! Can we requisition one or two from the Alliance?"

John shook his head at her. "Thought I told you to stay with the krogan female?"

"Unless it was the only option," Jane replied, taking off her recon helmet and grinning at her brother. "You were pinned down. I knew Garrus could take care of his shields, but that he'd only have one shot to do it. If the shields were down, I could kill him. And honestly? Who the hell would expect an invisible human to drop onto their head?"

"You're a menace," John replied, grinning back. "Good work, Jane."

Wrex had landed the shuttle, and was walking towards the siblings. "You had me worried there for a second," Wrex shook John's hand. "Who the hell are you?" He boomed, looking down at Jane with suspicion.

Jane gazed back impassively. "I'm a member of Commander Shepard's crew," she replied calmly. "The commander instructed me to maintain a full cloak and stick to the krogan female's side to ensure her safe delivery to you."

Wrex looked between the siblings for a few moments, then took a few long sniffs.

Liara stepped forward, her eyes alight with curiosity. "Smell anything interesting, Wrex?"

Wrex looked at the asari and grinned. "Sure do – but it isn't what  _you_  think, T'soni."

Liara blinked in surprise, and glanced at John and Jane again, this time with confusion and open curiosity.

"Let's make this quick," John interjected, gesturing for everyone to walk towards the containment pod, now sitting in the loading area. Mordin canceled the containment field with an absent wave of his arm.

Wrex pushed Mordin out of the way, and looked up at the krogan female. "Let's get you out of here," he invited, holding his hand out to her. The female ignored Wrex's extended hand, and stepped out of the pod.

Two Cerberus soldiers dropped down to the ground, and before anyone could react, the female grabbed a pistol from Wrex's holster, and shot twice, her aim deadly. Both soldiers dropped to the ground.

The female returned the pistol to Wrex. "I can handle myself, Wrex," she said in her odd, calm tone. The female turned to Jane. "Thank you, human. You are a brave warrior."

Jane shrugged. "You know my motivation," Jane replied. "Beyond my orders."

The krogan female nodded, and climbed into the shuttle.

"This one is still alive," John exclaimed, hearing a gasp come from a prone Cerberus operative. John walked towards the dying man, crouching next to him.

"We…" the Cerberus Trooper gasped out. Jane walked over, feeling sick at the sight of the dying man.

"Why is Cerberus here?" John demanded. "What do you want?"

Laughing faintly, he reached towards John for a moment before collapsing back, dead.

* * *

Jane was hunched over her workbench in the cargo bay later that night. She was unsettled, and wanted to finish installing some of the additional tech she'd purchased on the Citadel before applying the chemical wash.

"Can I cash that rain check?" Garrus asked, walking towards her in civilian clothes.

Jane grinned, and gestured for him to join her. "I managed to get my hands on the blue prints for the Cipritine gauntlets you were drooling over earlier. They have fine-motor stabilizations upgrades in them, if you're interested," she activated her omnitool, and pulled up the specs.

Garrus pulled her omnitool closer to his face and squinted at the readout. "Interesting," he hummed quietly. "I've had my eye on the anti-material Widow for a while. This upgrade would help with handling."

"I'll send you the blue prints," Jane forwarded the info to his omnitool. "Have at it, I've removed everything I wanted."

Garrus looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, I bought it just for the shield upgrade. I'd rather the rest not go to waste, so if you can use any of it…" Jane shrugged. "Like I said, have at it."

She pulled on her visor again, and unzipped the inner lining of her suit, revealing the intricate tech within. She turned the sleeves inside out, activated her omnitool, and finally started installing her new biotic shielding upgrades.

"Why aren't you using Palladium for that?" Garrus asked idly, glancing over as she used the soldering iron to connect the wiring.

"Too close to medical upgrades," Jane replied, not looking up. "The shield upgrades are compatible with Platinum with an upgrade, but the medical shit shorts out with Palladium."

"Huh," Garrus lapsed into silence, hunched over the stripped down gauntlets, swiftly and carefully removing the last bits of useful upgrades from the gauntlets.

They worked quietly side-by-side. As the night went on, their quiet companionship put Jane at ease, and she felt herself relax for the first time since earth.


	8. Chapter 8

**2164**

" _John," Hannah poked her head into John's small bedroom aboard the SSV Einstein. She was wearing her dress blues, her blond hair brushed and sculpted to perfection. "You ready, baby?"_

 _The ten year old glanced up and scowled at his mother. "Do I_ have _to wear this?" He pointed at himself. John had spent the last thirty minutes trying to make the too-tight top fit more comfortably over his shoulders._

_Smiling, Hannah walked into John's room and brushed a hand over his unruly dark hair. "It is a formal ceremony honoring your father," Hannah tugged gently at the fabric of John's formal outfit. "You're getting so big," she said softly. "We're going to have to order you new clothes soon, these ones hardly fit."_

_John struggled briefly with the dark blue fabric, and gave up with an annoyed sigh. "At least my clothes don't fit because I'm getting taller. Mike's mom needed to buy him all new clothes because he's gained forty pounds since they boarded last year."_

" _Is this Mike's first time on a ship?" Hannah stepped back and looked John over critically. He squirmed slightly under her scrutiny. "Stand up straight, Johnnie," Hannah reprimanded him absently._

" _Please don't call me that," John reminded his forgetful mother gently. She flushed briefly, and looked away._

' _Johnnie' always made John think of Janey. Aunt Tiff had called the apartment days before they'd first boarded the Einstein and told Hannah the news. It had fallen to Hannah to sit John down on the couch, Frank standing behind her, to explain how Jane's body had been found. That his little sister was dead._

" _I'm sorry, John," Hannah said softly. "I forgot."_

" _I know, Mom," John forgave her with an easy smile. "It's ok. Corporal Higgins, Mike's dad, he was posted on the Agincourt when Mike was born. I guess Mrs. Higgins wanted Mike and his little brother to have part of their childhood planetside. But when he got the posting on the Einstein," John shrugged. "He made them come here."_

" _This ship has a reputation as a good place to raise a family," Hannah agreed. "John, you look very handsome, especially when you stand at attention. Then no one will notice that your sleeves are too short."_

_John scowled again, but followed her instructions, holding his hands together behind his back and standing up straight. It was a big deal for his dad, John knew. He was getting a promotion for exceptional actions in battle, and would start leading ground squads now._

_His mom – the ship's navigator – had argued with him for weeks over this promotion, begging him to turn it down, to not put himself at such risk. She always waited until she thought John was asleep to talk to Frank about it, but John stayed awake late into the night, reading ahead in his military history and strategy textbooks. He always heard them fighting._

_They fought a lot._

" _C'mon, kid," Hannah smiled down at John, her eyes soft on his face. She never hid how much she loved him, and John craved the constant reassurance. He knew his mother would always be there for him, no matter what._

_His relationship with his dad was a bit more complicated. Frank was removed and reserved around his son, but John was desperate to please the stern man. John idolized his dad, to the point of having written school essays on his dad's feats in battle. Frank Shepard was brave, and heroic, and saved people. He always put the safety of others ahead of himself, and went farther than anyone else to complete the mission._

_He was the man John wanted to grow up to be, but Frank never seemed to care how much of an impact he'd had on his son._

_John and Hannah arrived on the bridge of the SSV Einstein moments later, and stepped to the front of the crowd gathered there. John stood at attention, bursting with pride for his dad._

_Frank's eyes landed on his son's face, and he graced John with a rare grin. John smiled back widely, but stayed at attention. When Frank's eyes landed on Hannah, the smile faded from his face. He nodded gravely towards her instead._

_The ceremony was lengthy, even though the captain of the Einstein wasn't really known to be one for speeches. He gave Frank his new stripes, and then turned to the crowd. "Congratulations, Staff Lieutenant Shepard. I was originally planning on writing my own speech today, but then I thought I would leave the kind and complimentary words to an expert on the subject," the captain pulled out a datapad. "A few weeks ago, shortly after Staff Lieutenant Shepard saved that outpost of turian soldiers on Magi, the fifth grade teacher here on the Einstein sent me this essay."_

_He glanced around, smiling at Hannah, then Frank. "Mrs. Jenkins had assigned an essay on leadership in the military, and this is what John Shepard, the Staff Lieutenant's son, wrote."_

_A grin on his face, the captain started reading John's essay. Instantly, John started blushing furiously as the captain read his words, describing how leadership meant making the difficult decisions with care, inspiring leadership everywhere, and facing down adversity with dignity and determination. How without Frank Shepard's leadership skills in battle, fifty-four turian soldiers would be dead._

_When the captain finished reading the essay, he looked up and smiled. "While I'll admit I'd already decided to offer Frank the promotion, this essay cinched it for me. John's father is the epitome of what an Alliance Soldier stands for. Congratulations again, Staff Lieutenant Shepard."_

" _Thank you, Captain," Frank said in his deep, quiet voice as the crowd clapped._

" _Hello, John," the captain greeted. "I hope you don't mind that I read your essay. It was very well written," the blue-eyed man glanced at Frank._

" _No, sir, I don't mind," John replied, even though he was still blushing. "Thank you, sir."_

" _You have quite the boy, Lieutenant."_

_Frank looked down at John, his look inscrutable. "So they keep telling me," Frank joked, putting his hand on John's shoulder._

" _I expect great things from you, John Shepard," the captain said with mock sternness._

" _Yes, sir," John replied, standing up straighter. "I won't let you down."_

_He glanced up at his dad, who was still looking down at John with that strange look on his face. "You won't let the captain down, John," Frank said quietly. "Would you like me to teach you how to shoot?"_

_John stared up at Frank with wide eyes and nodded wordlessly._

_Captain Hackett chuckled. "Well, Lieutenant. Take the rest of the day off, and head down to the shooting bay with your boy."_

" _Yes, sir," Frank nodded. "Coming, John?"_

_John grinned widely and fell into step behind his dad. Hannah slipped out behind them. "Can I come watch?" She asked carefully, a hopeful expression on her face._

_John glanced at Frank, and back at his mom. "Can this just be a me and Dad thing?"_

_She smiled tightly at them both. "Sure."_

_John stepped into the elevator beside his dad, so full of happiness he thought he'd burst._

**2186**

"Liara, singularity!" John snapped.

He watched as his asari ex threw a mass effect field into the midst of a crowd of operatives, picking up three and suspending them helplessly in the air.

"Warp when you can," he ordered, and smiled with satisfaction when the warp caused a huge biotic explosion. John popped out of cover and shot the remaining two operatives with his Mattock. "EDI? Go find the first piece of Reaper tech. Liara, let's get as far back as possible until that thing is in containment."

He and Liara fell back as EDI walked towards the lab terminal with the Reaper tech.

"Cortez, standby for extraction of the Reaper tech – EDI will put the tech into the containment pod, take it straight to the Normandy for Mordin to store safely," John snapped into his comm.

" _Hacking the terminal now, Shepard,"_  EDI reported.

" _I'm inbound, Commander,"_  Cortez added.

"EDI, I want you to hustle once you extract the tech," John snapped.

" _Of course, Commander_ ," EDI replied calmly.

John grinned and turned to Liara. "It's kind of nice stealing stuff from Cerberus."

"More stuff, you mean," Liara chasticed. "Didn't you steal an entire ship? And I'm not too sure on the technical legalities of who, exactly, owns all those Cerberus upgrades in your body."

"Isn't possession nine tenths of the law?" John laughed, leaning back against a rail and grinning at the asari. "Besides, I don't think they could find a collections agency to reclaim their property. They'd probably have to contract independently to find someone with enough balls to cut their upgrades out of someone."

"From the great Commander Shepard, no less," Liara answered back quickly. "That would have to be a very carefully worded job posting."

"Not excited about your job anymore? Do you need more of a challenge?" John started. "Job perks: you might meet  _the_  Commander Shepard!"

Liara snickered. "Apply now for the adventure of a lifetime! Survival not guaranteed."

" _Almost done hacking, Shepard,"_  EDI reported.

"Good job, EDI," John replied.

" _I have the Reaper tech, Commander,"_  EDI said, sounding vaguely triumphant. "Cortez, are you ready for extraction?"

" _Incoming now,"_  Cortez answered. Seconds later, the shuttle was hovering outside the extraction point. EDI rushed forwards, Reaper tech glimmering darkly in one hand, and placed the tech inside a shielded compartment.

" _Reaper tech is safely inside the containment pod,"_  Jane reported from inside the shuttle, monitoring the pod to ensure no dark energy emerged to indoctrinate the crew of the Normandy.

"Second wave of Cerberus incoming!" Liara exclaimed, diving into cover when a Cerberus Trooper opened fire on her.

"EDI! Incinerate to my right – Liara, do you have a good angle on that shield generator?" John dropped into cover, pulling out his Mattock, and ducking out of cover to lay down suppressing fire.

"Yes, Commander!" Liara cried from where she dove into cover.

"On my mark, take it out," he ordered. "EDI, cover fire. Now!"

Liara shot the generator with three precise shots from her pistol. Without their constantly regenerating shields, the last few operatives went down quickly under EDI's incinerates and overloads and Liara's warps and singularities.

"EDI?" John asked as soon as the last operative went down.

" _Heading to the next consol, Shepard_ ," EDI replied.

"Shepard…"

John glanced back at Liara, who was looking at him with an uncomfortable expression. She looked away, before seeming to make a decision, and shut off her comm.

"Singer isn't your girlfriend or fuck buddy, is she?" Liara finally asked, her voice quiet.

After a long pause, John sighed, and turned off his own comm. "No, she isn't," he replied. "What changed your mind?"

"Wrex," she grinned ruefully. "He would have said something if you were sleeping together. I know him. He has no tact," she blushed faintly. "And apparently, neither do I. I'm sorry I went so crazy," Liara finished softly.

"Don't worry about it, Liara," John clapped a hand down on her shoulder.

"I should probably talk to Jane about it," Liara grimaced. "She doesn't like me very much."

"Do you blame her?" John replied. "She'll listen to you, though. She's a bitch sometimes, but she's fair. And she's given almost everyone I know a second chance."

Liara blinked at him slowly, and then smiled sadly. "It is just that you are so comfortable with her." Looking away, Liara wrung her hands together. "You've never been that comfortable with me. With anyone, really. Garrus is the only person who comes close."

John let out a long breath. "We have a history, Jane and I, but not a romantic one. I promise you, Liara, what's between Jane and I isn't something that should make you feel threatened. In any way."

"I understand needing to keep secrets," Liara answered. "Oh, Shepard. It is  _maddening._ The only connection that I've been able find between you is that she was in the same unit as you for a few years after basic," she scowled. "And there are no reports that you were close, or spent any time together outside of missions."

"We go back further than that," John shuffled his feet uncomfortably, and activated his comm again. "Hey, EDI, how's it coming?"

" _I am working on it, Shepard_ ," EDI replied, sounding somewhat annoyed at the interruption.

"Keep it up," he answered before deactivating his comm. "Look, Liara, I…"

" _Hey, John, baddies incoming,"_  Jane interrupted John. " _Looks like they brought all the playground bullies."_

"Shit," John snapped, activating his comm again. "EDI? Can you pick it up at all?"

" _Commander, I am working as fast as I am able_ ," EDI answered.

John spotted the white, yellow and black of a Trooper, and dropped into cover. "Well, go faster," he ordered, and ran into the fray, Mattock in hand.

* * *

"OK, people, we've cleared out the Cerberus Ops," John pulled off his helmet and grinned at his squad. "Good on us. Now let's do another sweep of the base. Keep your eyes peeled for bits of tech… salvage… anything that's worth anything. And don't forget, we're looking for information about Ambassador Osaba's son, too."

Jane and Garrus were standing at ease on the edge of the landing pad, Jane covered in blood and dirt. Next to her, Garrus looked impeccably clean in his blue armor.

"Garrus, take Main Street and the surrounding areas, Jane take the central pods and I'll take Back Street and the alley. Stay in contact," John nodded at them, and started making his way to the apartments off Back Street.

No wonder Jane was covered in dirt, John mused to himself. Benning was filthy. Yes, this area of the colony was showing signs of war, but the dinginess went deeper than the new damage. It was dirty and run down.

" _Oh, Capacitor Helmet,"_  Jane squealed.  _"Can I have it?"_

"We'll see," John replied. "Keep looking."

" _Yeah, yeah."_

John climbed through the first door off Back Street. The poorly maintained public washroom stank to high heavens, and John regretted wearing his N7 helmet today, when he'd seriously considered wearing his breather. John refused to investigate the suspicious looking piles in the corners. The apartments surrounding the base were grimy looking run down shit-holes. And most people they'd evacuated today had been poor.

It wasn't a good neighborhood, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Entering a room with bunk beds, John spotted a pile of salvage that glimmered. He grinned when he hefted it in his hand – worth 2,500 credits easy - and popped it into a compartment in his armor.

" _Found some spare parts over here, Shepard. 1,500, maybe 2,000 credits,"_  Garrus reported in.

"Got it," John replied. "Good eye."

John walked through the bedroom, and out into the back alley.

It reminded John uncomfortably of the neighborhoods where John and Jane lived on Earth. Tiny pods, stacked high on top of each other, with vermin in the walls and strange smells in the air. Rundown. Dingy. Filthy.

Just like this area of Benning.

"Anyone running low on medigel?" John asked, taking the last two units out of the dispenser he found in an office off the back alley.

" _I could use a unit,"_  Garrus replied.

John exited the office, and glanced around the area again. Something caught the light across the alley and John jogged over to it. He bent down and picked up a set of dusty dog tags. They were crusted with blood and dirt.

"Hey, Garrus, you got that canteen?" John asked.

" _Yeah, do you need it?"_

"Yeah," John replied, rubbing at the encrusted mess absently.

" _Uh… I think you should probably come here."_

Something in Garrus's voice set John on edge.

" _Garrus, I'm_ fine," Jane snapped, her voice faint. John realized that Jane wasn't on comm., instead he was hearing her voice through Garrus's. He could hear the tension in her voice, and it added to his unease.

" _Bull,"_  Garrus replied flatly.  _"You weren't even close to fine when I came in here, you were-."_

" _Jesus - off the fucking comms,"_  Jane was saying in the background, part of her words intelligible, but her tone extremely annoyed.

"Where are they?" John asked EDI, not bothering to disconnect from the open comm.

" _Garrus and the Lieutenant are in the central pods,"_ EDI replied immediately. " _Updating your nav point."_

Moving quickly, John jogged through the central pods and found Jane and Garrus in a small apartment off the last lab. Jane's helmet was on, her arms crossed defensively.

John glanced around. This apartment was significantly more run down than the apartment he'd cleared earlier. There was a stuffed rabbit in the corner, and John's heart made a funny twist when he spotted it.

"What are you doing in here?" John asked his sister seriously. "And take off your stupid helmet."

Pulling the helmet off, Jane glared at her brother. He couldn't quite place the expression on her face, but he recognized the signs of tears. "What's the matter?" John turned to face Garrus. "What happened?"

"This apartment connects to Main Street," Garrus started explaining. "I came in here and-"

"Garrus," Jane said in a low, warning tone, her eyes flashing.

He gave her a steady look. "Jane, do you really think I'm not going to answer him?"

"Do all turians take orders so blindly?" Jane snapped accusatorily before storming out of the apartment, pulling the recon hood back onto her head with jerky, aggressive movements and digging her comm out of her ear. John almost shouted after her to be careful with the small, expensive device, but Jane put the small earbud inside a pouch on her belt before resuming her angry march.

John turned to Garrus. The turian was watching her walk away with a worried look on his face, his three-fingered hands tightening and twisting reflexively around the stock and barrel of his rifle.

"Just tell me what happened, Garrus," John requested simply. "Would it make it easier for you if I requested as her older brother?"

Garrus laughed suddenly. "I was half afraid you'd make it an order," Garrus fell momentarily silent. "She was frozen," Garrus replied, turning to face. "Off comm. Staring at that toy in the corner." Garrus gestured at the stuffed rabbit. "Didn't hear me at first. Totally lost her shit when she heard me."

"Fuck," John swore, walking towards the door Jane had escaped through "Go wait for Cortez, we'll be back in a bit."

Quickly, John ducked through the door and across a back alley. EDI navigated him through a back office, and out a door on the opposite side.

"I saw the bunny. Is it the crash?"

"No," Jane replied quietly, glancing over her shoulder at her brother.

She was sitting on a catwalk with her legs dangling over the edge, recon hood sitting on the catwalk next to her. "I was caught up by memories. Didn't expect to find a drug addict's apartment here." She shifted and glanced at John uneasily.

"What was her name, again?" John asked, knowing exactly who and what was upsetting Jane now. With a small groan, he sat down next to her.

"The drug addict hooker who basically raised me? Pat. Her name was Pat," she said softly. Jane turned over her clenched hand. She relaxed her fist, revealing what she was hiding within. John frowned at the glass pipe, confused. "Red sand might be the new popular drug, but good old fashioned ones still have their place. Meth in particular, because it is so cheap to make. Especially back then."

She went silent for a moment, before glancing over at John. "And I found… Cerberus…" Jane fell silent for a moment. "There are some dead kids in there. I was covering their bodies, trying to … I don't know. Give them some dignity? They deserve a bit of respect. They probably didn't get much when they were alive. It's tough being a drug addict's kid. And then I saw the pipe, and the stuffed animal, and …"

John wrapped his arm around her shoulders in comfort. Jane relaxed against his side, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she offered. "I just froze. I should go apologize to Garrus, too," Jane finally said softly. "I totally bit his head off. Twice."

"Three times, I think," John replied mildly, a faintly teasing tone to his voice.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Jane looked suddenly abashed. "I wish I were less of a bitch sometimes. It's like… I don't know. It's like an instinct?"

"Don't worry about it. Do you want to take a few minutes before we head back?"

Jane shook her head. "Cortez is waiting. Let's get out of here."

John nodded, and followed her off the catwalk. Garrus was waiting outside for them, an odd look on his face. John held back, watching the scene that was unfolding in front of him.

Jane walked right to the edge of the landing pad, and with a yell and powerful throw, launched the small glass pipe far into the air. She watched it for a moment, before turning purposefully and striding into the shuttle.

John was more interested in his turian friend. Garrus's eyes were glued on Jane, the odd look intensifying.

"Gimme your canteen," John ordered.

Garrus jerked his eyes away from Jane to laser in on John. Wordlessly, he handed John the canteen.

John opened the canteen, and poured the water over the grimy dog tags. Rubbing his thumb over the metal as the water softened the blood and dirt away, John squinted his eyes at name that appeared.

_Osaba, B._

"Fuck," John swore quietly. "Osaba's kid. I was still kind of hoping…"

Garrus made an odd, distracted grunt, staring at the shuttle.

"What's wrong with you?" John asked, frowning at Garrus, giving the turian back his canteen.

They started making their way towards the shuttle. Garrus was silent for a long beat. "I don't know what you're talking about, Shepard."

"Bull…" John paused as he climbed into the shuttle, hearing an echo coming from the cockpit. "…shit."

Definitely an echo. Glancing down, John activated his omnitool and winced. Open comm. Still active.

Well, fuck. Jane was going to kill him.

* * *

"Commander, I'm inbound for pick-up," Cortez reported.

"Tuchanka is awfully dusty," Jane observed as she, Garrus and John stood watching the krogan guns they'd just activated taken down a Cerberus cruiser, waiting for Cortez to arrive. "No wonder krogan are so cranky."

"Not much headwind," John mused ignoring his sister. "Hey, Garrus. See that pebble on that brace? About three yards from the far building?"

"What, you mean that veritable  _boulder?_  Child's play," Garrus replied smugly. "I was thinking more along the lines of that Cerberus insignia on that busted turret across the courtyard."

John squinted and caught sight of a flash partway buried behind some rubble, and took his sniper rifle out of its holster. "I thought you were trying to best me," he scoffed, checking his rifle, reloading and kneeling.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Jane was demanding, but John was only focused on the flash of metal. One breath in. One out. Gentle squeeze of the trigger and… John squinted down his scope and grinned.

"All right, Vakarian," John narrowed his eyes. "Hit that  _boulder."_

"Seriously?" Jane asked skeptically. "You're having target practice?"

John glanced over. "Yeah. Target practice. You know? Fun?"

The tiny pebble exploded into a small puff of dust. "Third bolt from the ceiling of the fourth column down the nearest ramp. The one with the spec of yellow rust."

John snorted, and looked down his sight. "What the hell, Garrus. You used to challenge me." The yellow rust disappeared from the bolt, a long scratch in the metal where his bullet dented the bolt's head.

"Jane, you want in on this?" Garrus asked solicitously.

John laughed and glanced at his sister. "Are you kidding me? She can hardly hit the broad side of a barn a one hundred paces."

"You're an ass. I'm a good shot," Jane narrowed her eyes. "I've simply left firearms behind for superior weaponry," Jane gestured to her sword.

"It's limiting," John observed. "And if you're a good shot… prove it."

"Fine, lend me your pistol, at least," Jane held out her hand, annoyed.

"Why not a sniper?" Garrus asked, cocking his head to the side, interested.

Jane snorted. "Me? With a sniper rifle? They're almost twice my size."

"I'll bet you could modify your suit to brace you against the kickback," Garrus suggested. "Here, I'll show you." The turian handed Jane his sniper rifle, and drew her close to him. "Like this…"

Laughing, Jane took the Mantis from him, lifting the weapon easily. "I was at ICT with a sniper who used a Widow," she said absently as she looked through the scope. "It was as long as I am tall."

Garrus chuckled, placing his hands on top of hers, holding her unnecessarily close. "There are sniper rifles with a less powerful kick, too," Garrus explained. "John, pick the target."

John looked around for a target, befuddled by the sudden change in activity at the Tuchankan base. Then John turned to watch the two, and smirked. He gave them a month. Maybe he'd start a pool with Joker.

"Down the ramp, few feet away from the far wall. Cerberus glove," John crossed his arms and leaned back against a wall.

Garrus was murmuring softly into Jane's ear, giving her instructions. With Garrus's help steadying the rifle, Jane finally shot, sending the glove skittering into the wall. The delighted smile on Jane's face was one of her rare  _real_  smiles, and John couldn't help but grin in response.

It was just a matter of time, John concluded, and his instincts were almost always right. When Jane's hand lingered on Garrus's arm a few seconds too long, John was pretty sure his suspicions of a growing romance between his sister and the turian had just been confirmed.


	9. Chapter 9

**2168**

_Jane scowled at Pat on her way out of their shitty apartment on the outskirts of Brooklyn. The whore was passed out on the couch, a half-empty bottle of rum loosely clasped in one hand, a long since burned out cigarette dangling between her fingers on the other. There were burn marks on the carpet below Pat's hand, falling asleep with a cigarette or joint burning wasn't uncommon for her. Jane didn't know how Pat hadn't burned down their apartment block yet, somehow the small, circular burns on the carpet were the only signs of her carelessness._

_Since Pat's last boyfriend was arrested for drug possession earlier this year, the prostitute had made a genuine effort to give up drugs. For three blissful months, Pat had been sober and clean, and Jane had allowed herself to think that maybe she would be able to leave the Reds behind, go back to school regularly._

_But sobriety had proven too much of a challenge for Pat. One night, devastated after not having a single john, Pat had found solace in the bottom of a bottle of cheap wine. Since that night, the scent of vomit and stale alcohol had become a constant in the apartment, and Jane's hopes for some degree of normalcy in her childhood had been dashed._

_Quickly, Jane rushed down the stairs of the apartment building and out into the cold New York night._

_Jethro was waiting for her at the corner. "Hey, Gadget, you ready?"_

_She nodded, her body tense with nerves. "Yeah."_

" _Good," he nodded. "Barry'll be here soon. He's bringing some new guys. I don't know 'em."_

_Jane nodded. "Whatever. As long as we don't get caught."_

_Jethro laughed and clapped a hand onto her shoulder. "Just as long as we get what we need. And Barry gets it to Finch."_

_Shrugging, Jane slumped against a lamppost. "I can't get caught," she said flatly. "There are too many people relying on me."_

" _You should really stop caring about that shithead up there," Jethro gestured vaguely behind him at Jane's apartment building._

" _I_ don't _care about her," Jane muttered. In truth, Jane cared deeply about the messed up woman. After her foster brother Sean was arrested four years ago, Jane had stepped into his role. For years now, Jane had become the kids - and Pat's – primary caregiver. As Pat got progressively more messed up, Jane had taken on the role of adult in the apartment, and now paid all the bills, fed the kids and made sure everyone got their homework done. Now, at twelve years old, Jane thought nothing of taking care of the occupants of the apartment. The way Jane saw it, she owed Pat for keeping her off the streets._

_Despite everything, Jane loved Pat, and wouldn't abandon the woman for anything._

_In moments, a skyvan pulled up, Barry at the wheel. He opened the backdoor and gestured for the two techs to get into the van._

" _Hey Gadget, Jethro," Barry greeted. "Get in."_

_Jane climbed in, scowling. Tthe nickname Barry'd given her when she'd started showing an affinity for modding gadgetry and weaponry had stuck in the gang, and even though Jane didn't love her nickname, she loved that it indicated that she belonged. That she was part of something._

_Sitting down on the floor in the back of the van, Jane nodded to the guys she knew, and checked out the ones she didn't. There were three Jane had never met in the van, two big looking guys and a scared looking kid._

" _Hey," Jane greeted the scared looking kid. "I'm Gadget."_

" _Bob," he replied. He was short and painfully thin, with short dark hair and dark eyes. His skin was pale, and there was a dark bruise on his cheek._

" _How old are you?"_

" _Old enough," Barry replied on the kid's behalf._

_Jane reached into her pack and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Hungry?"_

_His eyes widened, and he grabbed the chocolate bar out of her hands roughly. The wrapper was off and the chocolate bar was devoured in less than a minute._

"' _fanks," Bob muttered around the chocolate._

" _No problem," Jane replied._

" _Fuck, Gadget, enough," Barry snapped from the front. "We'll be there in ten. Everyone shut up."_

_It was a simple enough job. Jane didn't go out into the field very often, usually it was just Jethro, since he had all the experience with disarming alarms and unlocking safes. This time, however, there were two different alarm systems that needed to be turned off from completely opposite ends of the warehouse they were hitting._

_Jethro was still taking care of the safe, so Jane didn't have to go too far in, but she was nervous anyways._

_She was always nervous. If she got caught… Jane was terrified about what would happen to Pat and the kids if she wasn't there to take care of them._

_Barry navigated the dark streets carefully, nearing the waterfront. He parked a few blocks away from the warehouse they were hitting. Stealing from a skycar company, they were hitting one of the warehouses to steal valuable parts for the black market. Finch, one of the hard-core gang members, had picked out the spot and organized the hit._

" _You all know what to do. Gadget, Pee Wee, you two are together," Barry gestured with his chin at Jane and Bob. "Get lost."_

_The two kids climbed out of the back of the skyvan and ran off into the night towards their destination. Quietly, Jane and Bob climbed over a chain link fence surrounding the abandoned lot that backed up against the warehouse._

" _The control box is over here," Jane whispered. "On the other side of this wall. So…" Jane reached into her pack, and pulled out a weird looking gadget._

" _Whassat?" Bob whispered back._

" _It's a targeted EM pulse emitter," Jane grinned. "I made it myself. It should kill the alarm long enough for me to slip over the wall and deactivate the outer security system."_

_She aimed the EM pulse emitter, let out a long breath, and squeezed the trigger._

_Bob looked around, confused. "Did it do anything?"_

_Jane grinned at the younger kid. "Yep," she said quietly. Jane then jumped to catch the edge of the wall, and pulled herself up._

" _How do you know?" Bob whispered up at her as she clambered over the edge._

_Jane peered over the wall and down at the boy below. "Because the alarms haven't gone off yet," she replied quietly. "Holler if you see anything," with that final instruction, Jane dropped down on the other side of the wall._

_The control box was right where she knew it would be, and Jane quickly opened the latch. She activated the omnitool Jethro had stolen for her for her birthday last year, and ran the alarm deactivating program she and Jethro had written for this job. Just like it was supposed to, the program killed the alarm._

_Jane scaled the wall, jumping over the other side, landing lightly next to Bob. "Let's get outta here," she said tersely. "Don't want to be near in case the cops show up."_

_Bob nodded, and the two ran quickly away from the site. Per Barry's instructions, they didn't go back to the car, or look for anyone else, instead made their way to a nearby subway station._

_Jane pulled a credit chit out of her pocket with enough fare for herself, and looked down at Bob. "Do you have fare?"_

_He shook his head, and Jane sighed, and gave Bob a chit for his fare to get into the station. "Why don't we just sneak in?" Bob asked as Jane and he passed through the turnstile and made their way down to the platform to wait._

_Jane rolled her eyes. "If we get caught jumping the turnstile, how are we gonna get home?"_

" _Oh," Bob replied quietly, following closely._

" _Besides," Jane sighed. "I don't_ like _breaking the law. I… I wish I didn't have to."_

_Bob was quiet for a moment. "Me, neither."_

" _How old are you?" Jane asked again, looking down at the little boy._

" _I'm thirteen," Bob replied, scowling. "How old are you?"_

_Jane blushed slightly. "Twelve," she replied. "You look younger than you are."_

" _I know," Bob replied. "I like it. Gets me out of trouble. I just start crying. Turns people to mush."_

_Their train arrived, and the pair climbed into the first car._

" _We should go back to the lab," Jane said. "Jethro'll go back there, and he'll give us our cut."_

_Bob nodded eagerly. Once they arrived at their station, the two walked out into the night sky. Jane shivered, wrapping her arms around her body tightly. The lab was empty when they arrived, and Jane settled in behind her workbench._

_Barry had left a pile of pistols on her bench with a note on top reading: "Make these less shitty." Grinning, Jane gestured for Bob to go sit on the couch._

" _There's some food in the fridge in the back," she gestured. "If you're hungry."_

_Bob's eye widened, and he all but ran into the small room in the back of the lab where Jethro kept some chips and candy. Jane settled in, taking apart the gun, first to clean, and then to mod._

" _Hey, squirt."_

_Jane jumped. She hadn't even heard the door open. "Jethro," she let out a sigh. "How did it go?"_

" _Breeze," he replied, handing her a credit chit. "Good job," he nodded, and tossed a second chit to Bob, who emerged from the back with chocolate smeared on his face. "Now get the hell out of here," he said with a grin. "See you tomorrow after school, Gadget."_

_Jane waved to Jethro and wasted no time leaving._

_Bob followed close on her heels, clutching the credit chit tightly in one hand. Jane activated her omnitool, and scanned the credit chit. She sighed in relief. There was enough on the chit to cover rent and groceries for the next week, maybe two if she was careful. Quickly, Jane transferred credits to their landlord, and put a small amount into a savings account Jethro helped her set up. The rest would be used for groceries._ _  
_

" _Can you scan mine, too?" Bob asked shyly._

_Jane scanned the chit. It had significantly less than hers, but that wasn't a surprise. Bob wasn't a full member of the Reds yet. Watching carefully, Jane saw Bob's face fall._

" _Expecting more?" She asked carefully, watching his face._

_Bob shrugged. "Hoping for, but this is better than nothing."_

" _Well, I gotta get home before anyone notices I'm gone and kicks up a fuss," Jane sent Bob a grin. "See you later."_

" _Hey, where do you live?" Bob asked, still following Jane closely._

" _Few blocks away," Jane replied, glancing back. "You?"_

_Bob didn't answer._

" _Bob," Jane stopped and turned to face him. "Where do you live?"_

_He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I don't … My mom and I used to live out of her car, but she was arrested two months ago."_

_Jane sighed, looking at the kid, the mournful look on his face. "Come on," Jane made a snap decision. Pat wouldn't care if Jane brought home a new stray. Hell, she probably wouldn't even notice. "You're coming home with me."_

_Bob, staying quiet, fell into step behind Jane and followed her home._

_Pat wasn't on the couch when they walked through the apartment door, but Jane could hear her in the kitchen._

" _Pat?" Jane called._

_The small black woman staggered to the door. "Where you been, Jane?"_

" _Out," Jane replied shortly, scowling, but walked over to the woman and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. "I saw Harry, he gave me the money he owes you, so I paid rent," she lied easily._

"' _Bout time," Pat growled, hugging Jane back. "Who the hell are you?" She exclaimed when her eyes landed on Bob._

_Jane broke free from Pat's grasp, and turned to face Bob. "Pat, this is Bob."_

_Pat stared at the kid, then grinned. "Nice to know I'm not the only woman out there with a boy's name."_

_Bob's eyes widened in shock and Jane's mouth fell open in surprise._

" _You're a_ girl _?" Jane exclaimed._

" _How did you know?" Bob asked quietly, eyes wide on Pat's face._

_Pat shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You need a place to stay?"_

_Bob nodded, her eyes wide on Pat's face._

" _Jane'll set you up. You'll have to share her bed," Pat replied. "I gotta go to work."_

" _Stay in," Jane argued, as she always did. "You don't need to work tonight."_

_Pat patted Jane absently on the head, and walked on unsteady legs to the door. "Gotta work, Jane," she repeated, pulling on some high heels._

_Jane shook her head, looking Pat over. Pat had once looked glamorous to Jane, now she just looked sad and pathetic. Her dress was stained, shoes worn and scuffed. Pat wouldn't be coming home with very much money tonight._

" _Later," Pat waved, and walked out the door._

_Jane and Bob climbed into Jane's bed, pulling the covers up, and fell asleep almost instantly._

" _Jane?"_

_Jane's eyes snapped open. Bob was still fast asleep beside her. The sun was up and shining through Jane's tiny window. Lucas, another of Pat's strays, was standing next to Jane's bed._

" _What's up, buddy?" Jane asked, pushing herself up._

"' _m hungry," Lucas muttered._

_Jane pulled herself from the bed, and walked into the living room, leaving the still slumbering Bob behind. Jane got cereal for Lucas, and went to go wake up Geordie, Pascal and Harper._

" _Pat diddint come home," Geordie announced loudly when he sat down._

" _What?" Jane asked, rounding on the six-year-old in alarm._

" _She's not here," Geordie said around a spoonful of cereal._

_Jane stormed into Pat's bedroom, finding it empty. A sense of dread filled Jane. Pat was never this late coming home. Something must be wrong._

" _What if she doesn't come back?"_

_Jane looked over her shoulder at Bob, who had just wandered into the kitchen. The other kids were staring at Bob with curiosity. "We'll figure it out," she said with a confidence she didn't feel. "And anyways, nothing we can do about it now," she said. "Might as well eat breakfast, and then get to school."_

_Geordie groaned. "I don't wanna."_

" _Too bad," Jane said, her voice stern. "Come on."_

_The kids were almost finished their breakfast when there came a knock at the door. Jane ran over, pulling it open._

_Jethro was standing there, his face carefully neutral. "Jane," he started, then looked away. "I found Pat this morning."_

_She felt the colour draining from her face, and stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her. "What do you mean you found her?"_

" _Someone beat her to death in the alley behind my place," Jethro explained. "I'm so sorry. The cops already took her body away."_

_Jane nodded, numbness creeping in. "I have to get the kids ready for school."_

" _Jane," Jethro said quietly, forcefully. "They're on their way here. You'll end up in a home."_

" _What can I do?" Jane whispered. "I don't have anywhere else to go."_

" _Grab your stuff and come with me," Jethro told her. "The Reds are your family now. We'll take care of you, Jane. I promise."_

" _What about Bob?"_

_Jethro shook his head, and laughed once, an ugly, barking laugh. "Of course you brought him home with you. Bring him along, too. The rest of the kids… you're just going to have to leave them behind."_

" _Jethro, I can't do that," Jane protested. "They rely on me, they need me."_

_Jethro shook his head. "You'll wind up in the system," he snapped. "Get your fucking things. Get Bob. Then get the fuck out here."_

_Unbidden, her eyes filled with tears._

" _I'm serious, Jane," Jethro grabbed her by the shoulders. "The cops'll be here any second now. You can't be here when they get here."_

_Jane nodded, and ran back into the apartment. She looked in the kitchen, at the kids sitting there, and smiled. "I have to go do something. I'll be right back, though," she lied, hating herself. "Bob?"_

_Bob followed her into her room, eyes widening as she watched Jane start shoving things into a backpack._

" _Get your stuff," Jane whispered. "Jethro's outside. We have to go."_

_Minutes later, Jane and Bob walked out of the apartment and followed Jethro. They passed a pair of cops on the stairs, and Jane slipped her hand into Jethro's as they walked by. He squeezed reassuringly._

" _It's gonna be ok, Gadget," Jethro said quietly. "The Reds are your family. We'll take care of you now. I promise."_

_Jane nodded, glancing over at Bob and prayed that he was right._

* * *

**2186**

When Jane finally crawled out of bed, it was late into the first shift of the day. John, Jane and Garrus had returned from the old military installation on Tuchanka late into the night cycle, and decided to debrief over turian brandy, beer and Skyllian Five.

It had been fun, laughing and joking around with her brother and his best friend. She was grateful that Garrus knew about her relationship with John; not needing to worry about what she said was incredibly liberating. Not to mention it was a hell of a lot of fun to be able to gang up on John with Garrus and act like his irritating younger sister without repercussion. Of course, the best part of her night was wiping the floor with John and Garrus at Skyllian Five.

Jane had always been in tune with her brother, and always knew whenever he was bluffing. Garrus was much harder to read, but she played the odds and had cleaned up, winning almost every hand. John had run out of credits, and instead had started betting some of his favorite weapons.

When John had lost his Paladin to Jane, he'd cursed so long and loud that Jane had cried with laughter. The Paladin was now sitting on her desk, glinting faintly in the dim light of Life Support.

She stretched, wincing slightly at a deep ache in her shoulder. Jane wandered over to the small mirror she'd propped on one of the shelves in Life Support, and grimaced at the angry looking bruise on her shoulder. Prodding at the painful area with gentle fingers, Jane remembered where the bruise had come from.

Garrus's sniper rifle.

Tracing her fingers along the edges of the bruise, she remembered the feeling of the rifle in her hands. Sniping was never something that interested her, but with Garrus talking her through the shot, she'd felt a thrill of excitement she'd never before felt sharpshooting.

Of course, the feeling of Garrus's arms around her, his turian heat, the sound of his voice, quiet and deep in her ear sent a thrill of excitement through her, too. She looked up to meet her own eyes in the mirror, and was shocked by the dreamy far-off look on her face.

Jane blinked. "Shit," she muttered, turning away from the mirror.

Garrus was attractive, no question. On Palaven, his scars would have made him a less appealing catch for a turian woman, but Jane found them intriguing. Intriguing and damned sexy.

But aboard her brother's ship, her brother's unofficial XO was so far off limits she shouldn't let herself consider him. Her eyes drifted back down to the bruise on her shoulder, and she smiled softly, again remembering his strength.

Well. No harm in thinking about him, she thought to herself wickedly, turning away from the mirror.

Wrapping a robe around herself, Jane gathered her shower supplies and walked to the mess, her kit under her arm, to collect a cup of coffee to drink while she showered and dressed.

Private Westmoreland was there, sitting hunched over a plate of pasta and a datapad. Jane sent her a small grin, and poured herself a mug of coffee. She sank down into a chair, both hands wrapping around the mug as her eyes drifted shut in pleasure.

"I've never understood how people love coffee so much," Westmoreland commented, sounding amused. "You look on the brink of orgasm."

Jane cracked an eye open, glancing over at the young woman. "I've been drinking coffee for so long now… It was my first true love. Nothing tastes better in the morning. Feel like shit without it."

"Caffeine addiction," the private said sagely. "It would take a while for you to go through withdrawal, but it would be worth it. You could try tea. We stock green tea and some herbal stuff, too."

"No, I'm good," Jane replied, amused. "Thanks, though."

Westmoreland shrugged, returning to her datapad.

Jane took a few sips of her coffee, and then left for the washroom, bringing the coffee with her. The showers were too small to be comfortable, but the water pressure was always strong. Jane put her coffee mug on a small shelf in the shower area, and closed the opaque curtain.

"Hey, EDI, any chance you can extend my five minutes of hot water to ten?" Jane asked, grinning. "I promise not to shower tomorrow."

" _Lieutenant, as much as I would like to, Alliance regulations state that hot water consumption be limited to five minutes per day per crew member."_

"I know," Jane sighed dramatically. "It's fine."

" _Besides,"_  EDI continued.  _"I would never condone a human missing a shower."_

Jane snorted. "You trying to tell me I stink?"

" _I would never infer such a thing,"_  EDI replied in a teasing tone, much to Jane's delight.

"I always knew unshackled AIs had to be more fun than everyone claimed," Jane commented.

" _Your hot water will still cut off after five minutes,"_  EDI informed Jane.  _"No matter how complimentary you are."_

"No wonder Johnny likes you so much," Jane mused. "You're funny  _and_  you follow the rules."

" _Indeed,"_  EDI said dryly.  _"Logging you out, Lieutenant."_

Quickly, Jane pulled off her robe, and turned on the shower. She stepped under the hot water, letting it cascade over her hair and down her back. Relaxing, she lazily soaped up her body, passing her hands gently over the brutal bruise on her shoulder. She was in the middle of washing her hair when Jane heard the doors open.

"I heard her mother was a drug addicted prostitute," Diana Allers was saying in a hushed voice.

Jane froze, one eyebrow lifting in amusement, instantly placing the voice. Why her brother allowed a reporter onto the Normandy was beyond her. Diana didn't seem to be aware that Jane was in the shower, and instead of making her presence known, Jane decided to listen in on the reporter's gossip.

"She's very kind," Traynor replied. "And no one can help where they come from. If the Lieutenant  _is_  the daughter of a drug addicted prostitute, then good for her for making something of herself. Now, as I've told you, Commander Shepard has forbidden me from talking about the crew, missions or anything related to the Normandy with you. If you have questions, you'll have to talk to him."

Diana snorted. "OK, fine." There was a moment of silence before she started talking again, her voice friendlier and warmer. "To be honest, my real reason for wanting to talk to you about her is because… Do you think she'd into girls?"

Jane rolled her eyes, only just managing to keep herself from laughing out loud.

"Oh, Diana, I don't know," Traynor replied, sounding exasperated.

"Well, you're into girls, right? Full on lesbian? Don't you have a radar, or something?" Diana pressed.

"Oh, for pete's sake," Traynor answered, exasperated. "I came in here because I have to  _pee_. I told you I've been  _ordered_  not to discuss the crew with you. That includes gossip about sexual orientation." The Comm Specialist paused. "Although, I'll grant you, she  _is_  compelling. I wouldn't turn her down, if you know what I mean."

Diana laughed. "Fine, go pee. And just so you know, I wasn't asking as Diana Allers, Battlespace Reporter. I was asking as Diana, hopefully one day your friend."

The doors opened, then closed again.

" _You dealt with her very well, Miss Traynor,"_  EDI replied. " _Especially considering the Lieutenant is currently in the shower."_

"Of course she is," Traynor sighed. "Sorry about that, Lieutenant."

Jane grinned again. "No worries, Comm Specialist," she called through the shower curtain. "And, uh… You can call me Jane."

"Oh! Thank you," Traynor stammered. "And you can call me Samantha, of course."

"I'm going to finish my shower now, Samantha," Jane answered, laughing quietly. "Have a nice day."

"Oh. Yes, of course," Traynor answered, sounding flustered. Jane went back to washing her hair as Traynor flushed, washed her hands and left the washroom. She only just managed to contain her shriek when the water ran suddenly, shockingly cold.

" _I can provide you with a warning next time,"_  EDI commented.

Jane finished rinsing her hair and turned off the water with a laugh. "Don't you dare. Best wake up call there is," she murmured, pulling her towel around her shivering shoulders.

After drying off, Jane pulled her robe back on, finger combing her red hair. Shivering, Jane darted back into Life Support, and dressed quickly. She pulled on an N7 hoodie, covering her damp and disheveled hair with the hood before stepping back into the hall and calling for the elevator.

The doors opened, and Jane stepped in, hitting the button for the Loft.

"Hey, EDI?" She asked as an afterthought. "Is John even up there?"

" _Affirmative, Lieutenant, the Commander is still asleep_ ," EDI replied.

"I need to check my messages, and I'm going to use his terminal," Jane informed the AI. "He won't mind. I'll be quiet."

" _The Commander has informed me to grant you entrance to his room at all times but for five very specific ones."_

"Am I allowed to know what those five times are?" Jane asked, snorting.

" _No, Lieutenant, you are not,"_  EDI answered smugly.

Jane walked into the loft without hesitation, but paused once the doors hissed shut behind her, looking around, eyes wide. She still hadn't been up to the Loft, and wasn't quite prepared for the enormous quarters. The Loft was bigger than her apartment on the Citadel. She squinted across the room towards where John was sleeping, eyes widening at the unnecessary skylight.

The fish tank was unsurprisingly empty as John despised pets. He'd long thought they were a waste of time. The display cabinet separating the office from the lounge was stocked full of model ships. There were only three empty spaces, each labeled with the model and make of a ship. Jane made note of which ones he still needed, in case she came across a model ship vendor.

John made a noise from the bed, and Jane froze, watching him as he rolled over, making another small noise, this one of discontent. Jane watched him sleep for a moment, making sure he wasn't waking up, before sitting down at his terminal and uploading her messages.

**Old Gang Together Again**

* * *

_From: Quinn Hepner_

_Hey Singer – Hackett got in touch with some of us from ICT. We're putting the old gang together again. Zee, BT and I are all in. Message me back if you're interested in some action._

_Q_

**In Response To Your Query**

* * *

_From: Tannor Nuara_

_Siha – I am on the Citadel. My former commander came to see me the other day, made mention of an N7 Shadow on his crew._

_Come see me. Ask for my new name at Huerta._

_T_

**Capacitor Helmet**

* * *

_From: Garrus Vakarian_

_In a drunken haze, I liberated it from your brother. It's all yours and in the main battery – you can use the workbench in here, if you want._

Jane grinned in excitement at Garrus's missive and deleted the message. Never could be too careful with her brother, he always seemed to know when she misbehaved. No need to leave  _evidence,_  too.

Other than the missing helmet and her soon to be upgraded suit.

"… nooooo…"

Jane looked over at her brother again. He was twisting under the sheets, his face twisted into something ugly. Swiftly, Jane crossed to his side.

"John," she said softly in a mild tone. "John, wake up."

Instantly, John's eyes flew open, and he surged up, grabbing Jane by the shoulders. Jane clenched her jaw at the pain that spiked when his hand tightened over her sniper rifle bruise, but stayed quiet and relaxed.

"Careful, Johnnie," Jane said quietly, maintaining her gentle tone. "You're hurting me."

John blinked at Jane, awareness returning to his face quickly. He let go of her shoulders instantly, a horrified expression crossing his face.

"Not your fault," Jane promised him, and pulled her hoodie off her shoulder, revealing the vicious looking bruise peeking out from under the strap of her tank top.

"The hell happened?" John asked, cocking his head at the bruise. "Didn't Dr. Michel check you out?"

Jane sent him a concerned look. "She was asleep when we got back. We gambled and drank instead, remember?"

"I've been trying to forget," John said darkly. "Six hundred of my credits you now have. And my fucking Paladin."

Jane smiled sweetly. "It isn't  _my_  fault I know all your tells," she replied in a sing-song tone. "Mmmm, I can't wait to make use of that gun. It's so … sexy."

John flopped back onto his bed, scowl still present on his face. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Checking my messages," she shrugged.

"Anything interesting?"

Jane shrugged again. "Few things. Mostly old friends."

"Anyone I know?" John asked, yawning sleepily.

"Thane Krios," Jane said slowly, looking at John through shuttered eyes.

John stared at her for a moment. "I didn't know you knew Thane."

"That's because I never told you," Jane said simply. "I met him when you were with Project Lazarus-"

"When I was  _with_ Project Lazarus?" John laughed, pushing himself back up. "That's so fucking… politically correct. I didn't know you had it in you."

Jane looked away from her brother, deeply uncomfortable. In truth, she hadn't quite wrapped he head around her brother's death, and didn't like to think of the time he was, as he put it, meat and tubes.

"Hey," John reached out and took her hand. "Jane. Look at me."

The concern in his voice lifted her head more than anything else. He frowned at whatever he saw in her face.

"Tell me about Thane. How did you two meet?" John's voice was quiet.

Jane stared at him in surprise, she'd been absolutely certain that he would press her about what was upsetting her. He simply shrugged. "You'll tell me when you're ready, Janey."

"I didn't deal with it well," Jane admitted, still feeling deeply uncomfortable. "You. Being dead," Jane ran one hand through her hair, stood up and started pacing. "I found out about an hour after Corporal Heinrick from ICT informed my N6 squad that we'd all received our N7 designations. I couldn't make it to your funeral, because my first assignment was with covert ops, on Omega, and a nobody orphan from Earth didn't warrant time off to go and mourn the great Commander Shepard."

She turned away from her brother, looking into the empty fish tank with unseeing eyes. "I was ordered to take out a high priority target. And I did, but I was reckless. Could have gotten hurt. Could have gotten caught. Could have implicated the Alliance. But I got the job done, and that was really all that my superiors cared about. I always got the job done, no matter the cost," Jane sighed and turned back to look at John. He was sitting up in bed, watching her with concern.

"Why didn't you say something?" John asked quietly.

"I'm saying something now," Jane pointed out. "Thane… he uh, saved my life. We were after the same target. I was reckless, made a mistake, got hurt, almost got caught. Thane took out the target, saved my butt, and decided to mentor me."

"Just like that?" John asked skeptically.

"Pretty much," Jane replied evasively, not meeting his eyes. "I couldn't say no, even though I was suspicious of his motivations. He's like an elite athlete, but his sport is assassination. Have you ever seen him work? I mean  _really_  work? God… it's gorgeous."

"Do I detect a hint of romance?" John asked, his tone teasing.

"Not a lick," Jane replied honestly. "He's my mentor. My friend. Nothing more than that."

"So, he took you under his wing so you could learn how to better kill people and he didn't bother teaching you how to shoot a sniper rifle?" John snorted. "Seems shortsighted."

"He's of the philosophy that you should play to your strengths instead of forcing a mediocrity," Jane answered. "Garrus is right, though. I should be more proficient. I've let my shooting get sloppy."

"Garrus, hmm?" John said casually. Too casually.

Jane felt a flush of heat rush to her cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said carefully.

"I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I'm talking about," John said with a teasing grin. "But tell me more about Thane. We'll talk about Garrus later."

Jane glared at him, annoyed. "I went back to his place with him. He owned a huge, empty warehouse on Omega, this epic ninja training zone. He might still own it, I don't know. But he taught me how to refine my skills, helped me with my next few targets…" Jane grinned at her brother, knowing she looked cocky and not caring. "I was good when I joined ICT. I was great when I left ICT. But I'm fucking  _awesome_  now," she grinned. "Mostly thanks to Thane."

"I know you're awesome," John replied simply. "Otherwise you wouldn't be on the Normandy."

She grinned. "Anyways, I got a message from him right before you guys launched your suicide mission. That was the last time I heard from him… Until now."

"What does he want?"

"For me to go see him," she replied. "He's in Huerta."

"I know," John replied. "I went to see him the last time we were at the Citadel," he admitted. "I mentioned you to him. He didn't say he knew you."

"He doesn't know you're my brother. He didn't know we knew each other, even. Is he… Is it the Kepral's?" Jane whispered, knowing the answer even before John's answering nod. "There's something so unfair about that," she said quietly, almost to herself. "To die quietly in bed, being smothered by a degenerative disease… It just isn't fair. He should go out in a blaze of glory. Something suited to his craft."

"He's reunited with his son," John said. "He's content, I think. Ready to go."

"He would be," Jane smiled. "He's so damned zen about everything."

" _Commander Shepard, Admiral Anderson would like to speak with you,"_  EDI announced. " _He says it is urgent._ "

"Shit, I'll be right down," John replied, then looked at Jane. "I love you, you're wonderful, now get the hell out of my cabin."

Grinning, Jane propelled herself forwards and out the door with a wave.

* * *

Jane stared at the datapad in her hands with wide, disbelieving eyes. She'd found the datapad strewn carelessly on a desk in one of the classrooms aboard Grissom Academy Station, and the words "Priority Targets" had attracted her attention. Cerberus was here  _hunting children._  Wordlessly, Jane handed the datapad with the "Priority Targets" listed within to John. His face paled as he read the disturbing message.

Traynor had, while scanning the comms for unusual transmissions, found a message calling for an emergency evacuation of Grissom Academy. A short time after Jane left John's cabin, EDI had informed her that John wanted her to report to the shuttle bay for a mission. Anderson's call had been about Grissom. He'd wanted John to evacuate the school immediately, but John hadn't specified why on the shuttle ride over to the school.

"That's disgusting," John replied, repulsed, as he finished reading the datapad. "Let's move. We have to keep these kids safe."

Jane was getting steadily angrier at Cerberus, so furious she was incapable of speaking. Her rage only increased when one of Cerberus's announcements sounded through the speaker system. In all her years with the Reds she'd never once harmed an innocent, and it was a life choice she stuck to without fail. People and organizations who purposely targeted children like these were the scum of the galaxy, as far as Jane was concerned.

"Yeah?" John halted, pressing two fingers to his comm, head cocked to the side, listening to an incoming message. "Got it, Kahlee," he said, deactivating his comm. "We've got to double time it to Orion Hall," John announced. "The kids need support."

"These fucking announcements are pissing me off," Jane snarled as yet another one flooded the school's speakers, promising safety for any students who turned themselves over. "Assholes, trying to manipulate kids like that."

"You're very opinionated," Liara observed.

Jane shrugged, turning her head to look at the asari in curiosity. There had been no rancor in her voice, no accusation. It was completely unlike the asari's interactions with Jane so far.

Liara sent Jane a tentative smile. Behind her mask, Jane's jaw dropped.

"Orion Hall is just through here," John gestured down a hall. "Come on." Jane and Liara fell into position behind John, following him towards a giant set of doors.

"Here we are," John announced. "You two ready?"

At Jane and Liara's answering nods, John opened the doors to Orion Hall. As soon as the doors cracked, a flood of noise hit the trio. Gunfire, the strange _whomp_  of biotics, screams of dying Cerberus Operatives. Jane smiled grimly.

A scantily clad woman was standing front and centre, obviously protecting the dozen or so students huddled behind her, shouting " _Eat this!"_  The nearly nude woman glowed briefly blue before throwing two Cerberus Operatives against a wall with powerful biotics.

"Jack?" John exclaimed, grinning widely.

The woman glanced over, then did a double take. "Shepard?" She gasped out in surprise.

They moved towards each other, John widening his arms slightly as though he wanted to hug the heavily tattooed woman. Jane's jaw dropped when she realized she was looking at none other than Subject Zero.

The arrival of an atlas mech made both Jack and John freeze. The tattooed woman was only frozen for a fraction of a second before she was running to throw herself, biotics flaring to life, between the atlas and one of her young, frightened students.

"Everyone get down!" Jack was shouting, ushering her students away from the mech and up into a balcony overlooking the expansive hall. "This is way outta your league! Shepard? Keep it off us!" She shouted as she brought up a biotic barrier, snapping at the students to reinforce it.

John turned to Jane. "Do your thing, Janey," he grinned at her, and Jane, with a salute, disappeared, reappearing seconds later behind the atlas. With a yell, Jane brought her sword down and severed the hydraulics on the mech's legs. Hobbled, the atlas ground to a halt, the operative inside the mech cursing loudly enough that Jane could hear his guttural tones.

"Jane, atlas, electric slash. Liara, singularity then warp those operatives at 2 o'clock," John ordered. "Let's kick the shit out of these assholes."

"Aye aye," Jane shouted back with a grin, and loosed an electric slash on the atlas, killing its shields as John kept the atlas's attention with his Mattock. Jane sent another electric slash into the atlas, and dove into cover to protect herself from the resulting explosion as the atlas exploded.

John and Liara finished up with the few remaining operatives, and Jane ran back to John's side, warily keeping an eye on the biotic above. She would have to play this carefully. Subject Zero was known for her temper, and once Jane removed her Recon Hood, the biotic would recognize Jane.

Jane had tracked Subject Zero across three different systems before finally catching up with her and capturing the woman before turning her over to the Alliance just over two years back. She remembered with crystal clarity the look on Jack's face when she'd closed the door on her cell on the transport ship. And her words. Her promise, really.

" _I'll remember your name. I'll remember your face. And I'll kill you."_

Not much made Jane feel uneasy, but those words had haunted her for a long time.

Jack's laughter, floated down from above. "Kahlee said she was putting out an SOS. I had no idea the king of the boy scouts would show up," she said in a snarky tone before spinning to face her students, snapping orders at them.

Staring with wide eyes, Jane couldn't quite see the angry young biotic she'd chased after killing an outpost of marines in this capable, if rough around the edges, teacher. She turned to look at John.

"How do you know her?" Jane asked.

"She was part of my crew against the Collectors," John replied.

"I thought you told me the whole story," Jane complained quietly. "You left out a lot. I mean… Subject  _Zero?_  Playing with fire a little bit, don't you think?"

"How do  _you_  know Jack?" John asked, eyebrows raised.

Jane flushed behind her mask and looked away. "I arrested her," she murmured quietly.

John swore quietly. Jack, body alight with blue biotics, jumped from the upstairs balcony to land lightly in front of John, an unfriendly grin on her face, and then punched John in the face with all her strength.

Liara gasped from where she was standing, a hand flying to her mouth in surprise. Jane couldn't help the snort of amusement that escaped her.

"Dammit, how many times did I tell you not to trust Cerberus?" Jack muttered aggressively, narrowing her eyes.

"You're not telling me anything I haven't already told myself, Jack," John replied, his voice surprisingly gentle.

"Aw, you feel bad?" Jack shot back, hand on hip. "Well shit, I bet that's a big comfort to all the people Cerberus has killed!"

Jane tuned out the biotic as she and John discussed her new position as an instructor at Grissom. Jane looked up at the students milling about above. Young and idealistic, each kid looked like a shiny new penny. Jane had no idea what it was like to be a kid like that. She'd had to grow up fast, and all the kids she'd ever taken care of had never had the look of innocence as the students above. And now Cerberus was trying to destroy that innocence.

Fucking  _assholes_.

"… and apparently the students responded well to my teaching style," Jack's raised voice drew Jane's attention again.

"The psychotic biotic!" One of the students called down with a smile.

"I will destroy you!" Joked another.

"Drink your juice, Rodriguez," Jack replied dryly. "You couldn't destroy wet tissue paper."

" _Cortez to extraction team,"_  Steve's voice sounded over the squad's comms. " _The Cerberus cruiser is coming back."_

"How long?" Jane asked, pressing two fingers to her ear. John shot her an annoyed look, and made an impatient hand movement in her direction.

" _Two minutes tops,"_  Steve answered.  _"After that? No way we'll get past 'em."_

Jane already knew that John was going to tell Steve to take care of himself and get away from the station. She looked up at the kids again, then back at her brother.

Seconds later, John was telling Cortez to extract.

"Getting these kids off the station has to be our top priority," Jane said to John in a low voice. "Are you sure sending Cortez away is a good idea?"

"Can we get all these kids to the shuttle in two minutes?" John asked skeptically, and looked up at the students above. "Let me talk to Sanders, and see if she has an alternate route off the station."

John wandered off to formulate a plan, speaking quietly to Sanders over the comms. Jane looked up at the kids again. They were laughing, pushing each other, horsing around.

"You wouldn't know that they are trying to escape Cerberus's clutches, or that they've been fending off Cerberus advances for hours," Liara said quietly to Jane, her eyes following the angle of Jane's head to the balcony above.

"Were you ever that innocent?" Jane asked the asari.

Liara looked at Jane, amused. "Up until I met the Commander," she replied with a grin. Jane chuckled faintly in response. Jack looked over, eyes narrowing, and Jane felt a frisson of fear pass over her.

"Makes me want to destroy Cerberus," Jane pitched her voice low, watching the biotic warily. "For wanting to take that away from them."

Liara nodded. "We'll save them, Lieutenant," Liara promised.

Jane looked over at the asari, and nodded. "Damned right we will," she replied. "We're going to make Cerberus burn."

* * *

"You two ok?" John asked Liara and Jane, who were both slumped, exhausted, next the doors leading to the shuttle bay. He had a wide grin on his face, cheeks ruddy with excitement. "Fuck, Janey, atlases are  _fun."_

Jane looked over at Liara, worried over the asari's reaction to John's informality, but the asari was merely watching John with an amused look on her face.

"Your obsession with big guns makes me wonder if you're possibly overcompensating?" Jane replied sweetly, causing Liara to splutter with laughter.

John sent Jane a flat stare. "Funny," he said, eyes narrowed, then pressed two fingers to his ear, turning away.

"Come on, Shepard," Jack shouted from the door that led to the shuttle bay. "Let's get  _out_  of here!"

"Jane, cover our six," Shepard snapped, and gestured for Liara to precede him out of the room. "EDI, open comms."

" _Aye aye, Commander,"_  EDI replied.

"Covering your six, Commander," Jane said, laughter still colouring her tone, and stood at the ready, listening to the conversation in the shuttle bay over the comms.

She periodically looked through the large glass wall that looked into the shuttle bay. John, Jack and Liara were rushing towards the shuttles, and Jane could see Sanders ushering students into a waiting shuttle.

" _Kahlee, how's it coming?"_  John asked.

" _Shuttles are unlocked,"_  Saunders replied.

Jane scanned the hall leading into the shuttle bay, catching movement on the other side of the room.

" _Take the controls and get the students aboard,"_  John snapped.

Eyes narrowing, Jane activated her tactical cloak, crouching low, drawing her sword.

" _Wait!"_  Jack exclaimed. " _Where the hell's Rodriguez?"_

Jane's eyes landed on the student Jack was asking about, running full tilt away from three Cerberus Operatives. The young girl darted quickly into cover, and Jane – sparing one second to see her brother and Jack hammering on the glass trying to break through – all out ran for the girl and grabbed her around the waist. They rolled to safety seconds before a frag grenade exploded where Rodriguez had been hiding moments before, narrowly escaping its radius.

Jack smashed through the glass, the force of her biotics spraying the Cerberus operatives with biotically charged glass projectiles. They fell back, one operative screaming and clawing at his helmet.

" _Rodriguez!"_  Jack screamed, panicked, looking around desperately for the girl, not seeing her huddled behind the cloaked Jane.

Jane flickered back into sight, and sent an electric slash into the two remaining Cerberus ops, watching them crumple to the ground with satisfaction. John vaulted into the room and picked up the stunned and injured Rodriguez easily back into the shuttle bay.

"Jane!" John yelled. "Get the fuck in the shuttle. Jack! Get in here, NOW."

Jane darted after her brother, Jack following hot on her heels. She let the biotic get on the shuttle first, jumping aboard seconds later and slapped the door closed behind her, panting. In seconds, the shuttle was airborne and heading for the Normandy.

Jack looked suspiciously at Jane, roughly sticking out her hand. "Thanks," she said shortly. "Whoever you are."

"No problem," Jane replied, wincing when she saw the suspicious look that flooded Jack's face.

"Everything OK, Jack?" John asked, leaning back on the bulkhead. Only Jane could recognize the sudden tension in John's frame, on his face.

"Who's that?" Jack asked bluntly, pointing at Jane.

Jane sighed. She knew that Subject Zero –  _Jack,_  she corrected herself – would recognize her. She'd just hoped it wouldn't happen until they arrived back at the Normandy.

John turned to glance at Jane, a well-masked nervous look on his face. "This is Jane Singer, she's-"

Jack glowed suddenly blue with biotics. "I  _knew_  it was you," Jack snarled, advancing menacingly on Jane. "Too cowardly to show your face?"

Jane pulled off her recon hood and shrugged, body relaxed, one hand holding a handrail. Her nonchalance was completely feigned, and she was glad no one on the shuttle had a Kuwashii, able to detect her suddenly racing heart. Jack's students were watching with wide eyes. "We've got bigger problems than the fact that I caught you back in the day."

"You _sold_  me to that prison," Jack hissed.

"Not quite," Jane replied. "I work for the Alliance Navy. The Alliance doesn't send prisoners to Purgatory, Jack," Jane replied, never looking away from Jack. "You killed sixteen marines. My bosses told me to deal with it. I turned you over to the Alliance. I have no idea where you were sent after that, or why."

"Bull," Jack turned to face John, her face furious. "Shepard, I wonder about you. First Cerberus, now that piece of shiii-" Jack glanced over her shoulder at her students. "Oh, uh… shot…"

"Jack, calm down," John said. "She's part of my crew. I vouch for her. You were a criminal. She did what she was ordered to do. And besides, if she wasn't here today, Rodriguez wouldn't have made it out."

Jack muttered something under her breath, and crossed her arms over her chest, looking away from Jane.

Jane pulled her hood back on, leaning against the bulkhead of the shuttle, glaring at the slender woman from behind the safety of the Recon Hood, hoping Jack wouldn't decide to attack her as soon as they arrived aboard the Normandy. Jane's eyes landed on Liara, who was speaking quietly with Rodriguez, and sighed. At least the drama with Liara seemed to be behind them.

The shuttle arrived on the Normandy, the tension in the shuttle palpable. As soon as the Kodiak touched down, Jack slapped her hand angrily on the control panel for the shuttle doors and stormed out into the cargo bay. John, shooting a quick glance back at his sister, hurried after the angry biotic.

With a sigh, Jane pushed herself up and out of the shuttle. Liara sent her a sympathetic grin as she approached the elevator.

"What gives?" Jane asked bluntly, not interested in any more bullshit from anyone, suspicious of Liara's sudden, unexpected friendliness.

The smile fell from Liara's face, and the young asari looked away, her cheeks flushing faintly. "I wanted to apologize for how I treated you, and … well, I know the truth about you and Commander Shepard now."

As Liara spoke, the elevator doors opened, revealing Garrus, who froze at Liara's words. His mandibles widened in surprise, and he stared at the asari in shock. "You  _know?"_

"How did you find out?" Jane asked quietly, equally shocked.

"Shepard told me," Liara replied, perplexed by Jane's stressed tone and Garrus's incredulous expression.

"That's why you've started trying to be nice to me?" Jane asked, shaking her head. "Fuck. Well, maybe I should tell Jack I'm John's sister, and she'll chill out, too."

Liara froze, staring at Jane, then Garrus. "Excuse me, did you say  _sister?"_

Jane felt the colour drain from her face behind her Recon Hood. "What were you talking about?"

"Shepard just told me – and I finally believed him – that you weren't sleeping together," Liara said, eyes wide. "He never said anything about you being – "

"Stop," Garrus interjected. "This isn't the right place to have this conversation, there are too many people around."

"Shit, shit, shit," Jane whispered, turning away. "Liara, Garrus, can I meet you upstairs? I just have to… I'll be there in a minute."

Garrus nodded, and ushered Liara into the elevator as Jane started pacing the length of the cargo bay.

"EDI, can you connect me with John, please?" Jane asked quietly.

" _Connecting you now, Lieutenant,"_  EDI replied.

" _Jane?"_  John's voice sounded in her ear. " _Can this wait?"_

"No," Jane replied seriously. "Liara knows."

" _Knows what?"_

"What do you think?"

John was quiet. " _Fuck,"_  he said after a long beat.

"I'm sorry," she whispered miserably. "It was an accident. She said she knew the truth about us, that you'd told her… I… I'm sorry."

" _Jane,"_  John sighed. " _Shit. Damnit, Jane."_

Jane was quiet, guilt gnawing away at her, a sick feeling spreading through her stomach.

" _Jane?"_

"Yeah?" She replied absently, nibbling on her lip behind her Recon Hood.

" _Uh, you just went quiet there,"_  he continued, concern in his voice.

"Yeah," Jane answered.

" _Look, I'll talk to Liara, she'll keep it quiet,"_  John asked, his voice concerned.  _"It'll be OK."_

"I'm going to talk to her now," Jane replied. "Garrus is with her."

" _That's good, she trusts Garrus,"_  John's voice was tense.  _"Everything'll be fine."_

"Yeah," Jane sighed, killing the comm.

She wandered to the elevators, deep in thought.

"Hey, Lola," James called from the armory. "It's kind of creepy when you wear the mask on the ship."

Jane ignored the burly marine, and stepped into the elevator when it arrived. She selected the crew deck, and finally pulled the mask off her face.

"Hey, EDI? Where did Garrus and Liara go?" Jane asked, rubbing a hand down her face.

" _Officer Vakarian and Dr. T'soni have gone to Dr. T'soni's chambers,"_  EDI replied, her tone serene.

Jane sighed. "Thanks, EDI," she replied. The elevator arrived, and Jane made a beeline for Liara's quarters.

Her jaw dropped slightly when she walked into the asari's chambers and looked around. The tech packed into this small room was enough to run an information brokering empire. Jane removed her hood so she could look at the equipment with an unimpeded view.

"Holy shit, I was right, you  _are_  the Shadow Broker," she gasped, eyes wide on Liara's face. "How in the hell didn't you know about John and I already?"

Liara laughed. "Do you have any idea how frustrating it is looking for a connection between the two of you?" She shook her head. "There's  _nothing_  out there connecting the two of you. I've even seen John's baby pictures."

Jane let out a slightly wild laugh. "Those aren't pictures of John. Fuck. We were in a car accident with our mom when I was four and he was six. She died and we got split up."

Garrus was leaning against the wall, watching her closely. "You can trust Liara," Garrus said quietly. "I do."

Jane looked into Garrus's eyes and saw the truth there. "I'd appreciate it if you could keep it quiet," Jane met Liara's eyes. "I… John really doesn't want people to know."

The asari nodded. "No one will hear it from me, this I promise you. And I'll keep my ear to the ground to make sure no one else is talking about it." She blushed faintly again. "I am sorry about how I treated you, Jane," she said quietly. "I wasn't quite over Shepard, and I just… I saw you as a threat."

Jane walked over to Liara and took her hand, sending the asari a small, friendly smile. "Next time we're on the Citadel, we're going out for drinks."

"I'd like that," Liara said softly.

"Me, too," Jane sent Liara another smile before looking over at Garrus. "Capacitor Helmet?"

Garrus let out a short laugh, and nodded. "In the Main Battery." He gestured for her to precede him out of the Shadow Broker's lair.

Jane sent a wave to Liara before walking into the Main Battery. As soon as she walked through the doors, Jane dropped onto a crate in the battery, and dropped her head into her hands. "Fuck."

She heard Garrus chuckle, but he didn't say anything. Moments later, Garrus's gloved hands wrapped around one of hers and a cool bottle was pressed into her hands. "This might help."

She laughed, and took a long pull from the bottle, shuddering as the harsh alcohol hit her tongue. "Thanks. What the hell is this shit?"

"Vega's mescal," Garrus replied quietly.

"Disgusting," she replied, taking another long pull on the bottle, shuddering violently at the taste.

"Are you ok?" He asked, his subharmonics layering his voice with concern.

Jane sighed, and lifted her head, meeting Garrus's ice blue eyes. "Not really by half."

He huffed out a small laugh. "Liara's one of the good ones," he said. "You can trust her."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Jane admitted. "I've lived my entire life hidden away. I've never been the centre of attention. Fuck. I was an orphan. No one cared about me. No one even knew I existed," She looked at Garrus sideways. "I was in a gang when I was a kid. I did things I'm not proud of. Things I wish I didn't have to do… I don't really want that coming out. And if it comes out that John's my brother, people are going to want to know what happened to split us up. People are going to find out about what I did."

"I know what you mean," Garrus mused, sitting down next to Jane. "I'm still terrified people will find out about Omega."

Jane looked at Garrus blankly. "What are you talking about?"

"I thought Shepard told you everything?" Garrus replied, looking confused.

"I thought so, too," she laughed. "Turns out, John's good at keeping people's confidence. Who knew?"

Garrus sent her a turian grin and settled back against the bulkhead. "Ever heard of Archangel?"

Jane turned to face Garrus, shocked to the core. "You?" Then she let out a loud laugh. "I knew Archangel wasn't dead," she said triumphantly. "Damn, I wish I could collect on that bet."

"You made a bet on whether or not Archangel was still alive?" Garrus asked her incredulously.

Jane nodded. "A batarian friend of mine. 5,000 credit bet."

"You bet 5,000 credits Archangel was still alive?"

"I spent a lot of time on Omega," she explained. "You and I went after the same target a few times. You always got there first," she sent him a playful scowl. "Archangel was too good to be killed."

Garrus looked away from her, and Jane grinned when she noticed the slight darkening of the skin under his fringe.

"Are you  _blushing?"_  Jane teased.

He sent her a scowl.

"How did you wind up on Omega anyways?"

"After your brother's death… Well. Let's just say, it inspired me to leave C-Sec behind for something more… fulfilling. I just wanted something to go right for once. I wanted to do some good. Your brother was gone, but someone still had to protect the innocent."

"And here I thought my brother was the biggest hero on the Normandy," Jane poked at his foot with her toe, grinning. "What happened, anyways? No one was ever clear on the downfall of the great Archangel. Even the merc bands glossed over the details."

Garrus sent her an odd look, his mandibles tight to his face. "One of my own team betrayed us to the mercs. I holed up in our headquarters and tried to stay alive. Shepard showed up just in time."

"He always does," Jane said softly.

"I still took a gunship rocket to the face," Garrus shrugged.

Jane reached a hand to stroke along the scarred mandible. "So that's what happened," she said softly, her fingers lightly tracing along the uneven surface of his mandible.

Garrus had gone completely still, his eyes intense on her face. She snatched her hand back, blushing faintly. "Sorry," she said, her voice hushed.

"It's nice to know that not everyone finds them repulsive," Garrus joked weakly. "Lost all prospects on Palaven, according to my dad and sister."

"Hey, krogan women find scars attractive," Jane teased back with feigned amusement. "I'll bet that you could make a case with Eve."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Garrus replied, his tone dry.

Laughing, Jane nudged him with her shoulder. "Omega still talks about Archangel. The duct rats have deified you."

"We did good on Omega," Garrus replied quietly.

Sobering, Jane turned to face him, and put a hand on his arm. "I know you did," she replied, squeezing lightly. "I'm sorry about your team. Omega felt the loss."

Garrus was staring at his hands, clasped together tightly. "Thank you," he said simply. After a few moments, Garrus turned to meet her eyes. "I asked Mordin about the Capacitor Helmet – he had a contact at Aegohr and was able to get the specs for it," Garrus said, unapologetically changing the subject.

Jane sent Garrus a smile, letting him know she wouldn't pursue the subject further. "Then let's tear it apart!" She jumped up and over to the helmet. "Fuck, this thing is hideous," she grinned, turning the helmet in her hands then pulling it on.

Garrus laughed at the comical face she made, tension bleeding out of his body, mandibles relaxing away from his face. He pulled up the specs for the helmet on his omnitool. "According to this, the Capacitor Helmet decreases your shield recharge time."

Jane nodded. "Sure does!" She chortled gleefully as she started ripping out the padded inside of the helmet, revealing the complicated circuitry below. "Oh, this is going to be fun," she whispered, peering closely at the snarled nest of wires. "You'd think salarian tech would be elegant and simple, but it's always a snarl of wires and a mess of circuitry."

She dove right in, occasionally asking Garrus for help. He went back to calibrating the Thanix cannons, sometimes humming along to a song she eventually identified as Fire in the Courtyard.

At one point, Jane glanced back at him and found he was watching her with a carefully masked expression she couldn't decipher but made her feel suddenly nervous.

"Everything ok?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah," he replied, gaze intense.

Jane turned back to the table, a rush of heat to her cheeks, her heart speeding up in her chest. Letting out a carefully controlled breath, Jane desperately tried to calm herself, knowing his Kuwashii was helpfully reporting back her heart rate.

No harm in thinking about Garrus Vakarian, indeed.

She was so fucked.


	10. Chapter 10

**2168**

_John watched as his father's shuttle disappeared into the starry sky._

" _You'll see him again in a few months, kiddo," Hannah put her hand on John's shoulder and sent him a soft smile. "This is a huge opportunity for your father. An honour."_

_She had to look up to meet his eyes now. His mother was so commanding, much more commanding than his dad, even though she was so small. It made John feel strange, to tower over her._

_Didn't mean he didn't want to lash out at her, though._

" _I_ know _that, Mom," John ducked out from under her hand, sending her a scowl. "I just don't understand… Why can't I go with dad? Why do I have to stay here with you?"_

_Hannah's face fell only for a second before she managed to control herself. She sent him a neutral look. "Because. It isn't safe for you to be on a cruiser patrolling the Terminus Systems, John. We've been over this. You're too young."_

_John flushed, and ducked his head. The flash of hurt on her face made him feel instantly guilty. "Sorry, Mom."_

" _Don't worry about it, kiddo," Hannah said quietly. "Now, you've seen your father off, back to class."_

_John groaned, making his way to the cargo bay's elevator, pressing the call button. "Fine," he muttered. "Don't know why I have to take all these stupid extra credit intergalactic policy courses. I'm going to be a marine, like Dad."_

" _John, having a thorough understanding of intergalactic politics will_ help _you when you enlist," Hannah said in a long-suffering tone. John felt another stab of guilt. This wasn't the first time he'd complained about the courses his mom was making him take. "The Alliance doesn't just operate in Alliance space. We don't just deal with humans."_

_John let out a long, annoyed sigh, and looked at his mom. "Learning about the stupid turian Hierarchy isn't gonna make a difference when I take 'em out with a single shot to the head," he muttered petulantly._

" _John Shepard," Hannah snapped. "We are no longer at war with the turians. They are our allies."_

_John snorted, and rolled his eyes. "Not what Dad says."_

" _Your father fought against the turians on the battlefield," Hannah sighed. "Sometimes it is hard to let something like that go. But, John… humans are new to the galactic community. We_   _have to be diplomats, we have to be understanding. We have to become a part of the community, not segregate ourselves from it."_

" _Whatever," John snapped._

"Not _whatever," Hannah snapped back. "John, look at me. This is importan_ t. _"_

_Balefully, John looked down at his mother and met her eyes._

" _John," her gaze softened, and she reached up to stroke a hand down his hair. "John, you are so smart, so strong, so_ brave. _You're destined for so much_ more _than doing grunt work as a marine. You… you could do so_ much. _You could have your own ship, you could be an admiral… You have so much potential and you just don't_ see _it!_ "

_John stared at his mother. "You think so?" He whispered._

_Hannah nodded. "I was speaking with the admission rep for Annapolis last month when I was on Earth, and he said with your grades and aptitude scores you're a shoo in."_

" _Really?" John exclaimed. "He really said that?"_

_Smiling, she brushed a hand down his hair again, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Yeah, now get to class, kiddo," she pushed him out of the elevator. "I love you."_

"Y _ou, too," he called back quietly, waving once at his mom before ducking into the small classroom for the SSV Einstein's officers' children. The teacher waved him in, and John slid into the seat next to his best friend Mike._

 _Mike hadn't shed the fat he'd started gaining when he and his family had arrived aboard the Einstein. He'd only grown fatter, now spilling over his seat. The big teen_ _had been the subject of bullying and teasing from the other kids in the class, but John had stubbornly refused to join in, always asking Mike to join him for lunch, to come over to do homework, watch vids, play games._

_When pressed by his dad, John had admitted that Mike always ignored the bullies, and refused to rise to the bait. John didn't see the point of being friends with the bullies, instead he'd rather spend his time with someone who wouldn't attack the weak. Not to mention the fact that Mike was really smart and funny, and his dad always bought him the best video games. Frank had ruffled John's hair, and left him to his homework._

" _Your dad get off ok?" Mike whispered quietly._

_John nodded, pulling his school datapad out of his bag. "Yeah. Six months at least until I get to see him again, though," John sighed. "No more target practice until then."_

" _Mr. Shepard," the teacher said in a warning tone._

_John sent the teacher a disarming grin. "Sorry, ma'am," he replied._

" _Just stop talking to Mike," she said in a long suffering tone, but sent him a small grin regardless. "Now, can you explain to me the influence Kovács had on Mass Acceleration development in 2125?"_

_John grinned. He answered with ease, having gone over Kovács' contributions with Mike the day before. When Mrs. Griffin nodded and continued her lecture, John relaxed back into his chair. Listening to the teacher go on about mass effect fields and their interplay with traditional human rocket fueled technologies, John started writing his dad a message instead of writing notes._

_Maybe he'd follow in his mom's footsteps and go to an Officer Candidates School, or maybe he'd enlist and go straight into basic. His dream had always been to follow in Frank Shepard's footsteps, but his mom had more career opportunities, more freedom of choice._

_For now, he'd work hard in school, petition Captain Hackett to allow him to go to target practice under supervision, request a hand-to-hand and language tutor. He still had time to decide, but it wouldn't hurt to keep his options open._

* * *

**2186**

"Commander."

John glanced at Traynor as he walked by the Galaxy Map towards the War Room. He'd spent a good two hours talking Jack down from her fury at Jane before he'd felt comfortable that the biotic wouldn't kill his little sister in her sleep, and all he wanted to do was retreat to the quiet of the Loft and relax.

"Yes, Traynor?" John asked, only just managing to keep the sigh out of his tone.

"I thought I should let you know that Diana Allers has been asking around about Lieutenant Singer, wanting more information about her past, and her… uh …" Traynor paused, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. "And her  _sexual orientation,"_  she whispered.

John kept his face impassive, but felt a deep flash of irritation, and a small measure of fear. A reporter sniffing around his sister could bring about nothing good. "Let Allers know I'll need to speak with her soon about her role on my ship," John replied, his tone dark. "Anything else?"

"You have several new messages on your terminal, Commander," Traynor gave him what John's dad had always referred to as  _The Look_  whenever Hannah was really displeased _._

Lifting his hands in surrender, John backed slowly towards his terminal under her hard gaze, and fired up his messages.

**Priority Mission Eden Prime**

* * *

_From: Alliance Command_

_Commander,_

_Cerberus has attacked Eden Prime and is now occupying the colony. Alliance forces are stretched too thin right now to attempt to liberate the colony, but we're doing what we can to covertly aid the local resistance._

_In the process, we've learned that Cerberus has uncovered a major Prothean artifact. We don't know what it is, but it appears to be the reason for the attack on the colony. We need you to infiltrate the colony and recover the artifact._

**Temporary Reassignment**

* * *

_From: Admiral Hackett_

_Shepard,_

_Alliance Command has recalled most N7 Operatives to join 4-person squads to hold tactically important locations – many of which you have already cleared for us. Certain missions are designated as more dangerous than others, and as such, we need the best._

_To that end, Lieutenant Singer will be periodically reassigned on a temporary basis to her former N7 squad. Please have Lieutenant Singer report to Major Quinn Hepner on the Citadel for her reassignment in one week._

_-Hackett_

John let out a long breath, forcing his heart rate to slow. "EDI? Tell Joker to set a course for Eden Prime. Where's Lieutenant Singer?"

" _The Lieutenant is in the Main Battery with Gunnery Officer Vakarian,"_ EDI replied. John grinned hearing that Jane was spending time with the turian.  _"ETA for Eden Prime is 0600 tomorrow."_

"Thanks, EDI," John replied, and stepped into the elevator. He hit the button for the Crew Deck, striding purposefully towards the Main Battery once the elevator arrived at its destination.

He paused outside the door, hesitating for a moment, worried about what he would find within. Even though he was willing to bug Jane about her love life, he didn't really want to walk in on her in a passionate embrace with Garrus. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Steeling himself for the possibility of what he might see, he hit the holopad to open the door.

Thankfully, the scene before him was tame. Jane was hunched over Garrus's workbench, pulling wires out of a demolished helmet in front of her. Garrus was standing in front of the Thanix console, calibrating, as always.

Smirking, John made a mental note to tell Jane she was doing something wrong if Garrus was  _actually_  calibrating, and not checking her out. John narrowed his eyes, focusing on the helmet in Jane's hands. It looked familiar. Where had he seen it before?

"Jane," he snapped, realizing it was the Capacitor Helmet she'd found on Benning. "Where the hell did you get that? I told you I didn't know what I wanted to do with that. Someone might need an armor upgrade."

Jane glanced up at her brother, her mouth dropping into an "o" of surprise. "Sorry, John," she replied, glancing at Garrus, who was backing slowly away from the annoyed commander. "You only ever use your N7 helmets, I only use my Recon Hood, and James only uses those godawful goggle things... so I thought I'd remove the shield regen upgrades and put them in someone's armor so that at least someone on the ship would benefit from the tech," Jane explained guilessly, widening her eyes.

" _Freeze,_  Vakarian," John pinned the turian with a glare. "You're not getting out of this, I know you're involved. And Jane? Stop trying to look  _cute,_ " he continued, exasperated. " _Someone's_  armor? You mean  _your_  armor, right?"

Jane shook her head. "Nope, I was gonna install it on Garrus's, actually."

Garrus made a small sound of surprise, and John glanced back at the turian. "You stole the damned thing from my quarters last night, didn't you?"

Jane barked out a laugh. "Come on, Johnnie, don't be mad. I'll install it in your armor instead, if it'll make you feel better."

"Shut up," he repeated. "Do whatever you want with the upgrades, just don't steal tech without my permission again, ok?"

Jane nodded, looking mildly guilty - which was about as guilty as Jane ever looked, so John counted it as a win.

"Hackett just messaged me, he wants to temporarily reassign you," John went on conversationally. "What's this Hepner guy like?"

"Thought that might happen," Jane replied, leaning back on the workbench. She was still wearing her armor from Grissom, but she'd unzipped the top half of the suit and pushed it down to her waist. "I thought they would put me back with Quinn. He's great. We went through ICT from the beginning together, but we weren't put on a squad together until N6. We were put with a demolitions expert and this russian biotic chic - Quinn's a soldier... he has his Destroyer grade now, though," she mused. "Anyways. He's great. I kind of want to introduce him and Cortez."

"Really?" John said skeptically. "His husband just died."

"Well, not tomorrow or anything," Jane snapped back, scrathing at her stomach. "But they'd be cute together."

John rolled his eyes at her state of undress and gestured at her top with his chin. "Bit obvious, isn't it?"

"That I'll be rejoining Quinn's squad? Well, we did go through ICT together," Jane replied with a hard glare at her brother, purposely misunderstanding him. John grinned when he saw that she was blushing faintly. "Isn't too tough to determine. Plus, he messaged me about it, sort of."

John rolled his eyes again. "We're arriving at Eden Prime tomorrow at 0600. Jane, Garrus, I want you both suited up and ready to go then," he put his hands on his hips and looked back at Jane. "You'll report to Major Hepner when we dock at the Citadel next."

Jane nodded, then shifted, looking suddenly uncomfortable, her face paling. "Look, I'm really sorry about Liara. I should have been more careful, I don't know why I assumed she already knew – "

John shook his head, interrupting her. "Don't be sorry," he grinned. "It's kind of a relief, to tell you the truth. I probably should have told her around the same time she started accusing the two of us of sleeping together."

Garrus made a quiet noise of disgust, from where he stood, attention focused on the console in front of him again. John grinned, jerking his head at the turian, and sent Jane a leering look.

Without hesitation, Jane gave John the finger, a deadly expression on her face. He made a face, sticking his tongue out. Jane took two steps forward, fists raised, and John danced back when she pulled back to punch him.

John backed into the bulkhead behind him, putting his hands up in surrender, laughing quietly. Jane sent him an evil smile, and prepared herself to attack him.

Unaware of what was transpiring, Garrus glanced back over his shoulder, brow plates pulling together in curiosity at the tableau behind him. Jane was frozen, mid-lunge towards her brother, and John, hands still lifted in surrender, was trapped against the wall.

Simultaneously, the siblings looked at the turian, then back at each other, before dissolving into gales of laughter. Garrus only shook his head, and turned back to the console in front of him, letting out a chuckle once his back was turned to them.

Jane and John grinned at each other. "Wanna help?" Jane asked, raising her eyebrows at the helmet in front of her.

"Yeah," John nodded, stepping close. "What are you doing now?"

"Harvesting parts for pipe bombs, actually," Jane admitted. "Innocuous when they're apart, but I can make something to pack a really big punch pretty damned fast with some of these parts."

John stared at her, disturbed. "I can't decide if it is awesome that you know how to do that or really creepy."

Jane sent him a creepy grin. "I always find it surprising how people are never phased by my ability to  _go invisible_ , but always assume I'm a psycho because of the sword or explosives."

John blinked at her a few times, mulling it over and remembering Kasumi. "Promise me that you'll never use your powers of invisibility for evil."

"Invisibility is only to be used for evil under orders from my direct superiors, Johnnie," Jane bumped him with her shoulder. "Now rip out those green wires, please."

* * *

John stepped out of the elevator at 0600 exactly. Jane, Garrus and Liara were all waiting patiently by the Kodiak.

Liara approached him. "I know you don't want me on this mission, but - "

"Yes, you can come," John cut her off. "Let's move," John grinned at the trio. "Are your shields optimized, Vakarian?"

Garrus cracked a grin, and nodded. "Take cover behind me today, Commander."

"Oh, quiet," Jane snapped, sounding irritable. "It's only 10%, for pete's sake."

"For pete's sake?" John raised his eyebrows at his sister. "Where the hell did you pick that one up? Have you been hanging out with Traynor?"

"We played chess last night," Jane admitted grudgingly.

"She kicked your ass, didn't she?" John closed the shuttle door once Garrus stepped aboard, and rapped his knuckles on the hull. "We're good to go, Cortez," John called into the cockpit.

"She kicked my ass," Jane admitted. "For such a meek little thing, she's vicious on the chess battlefield."

John laughed. "I keep liking her more every day. Hey, did you know that Allers has been sniffing around you?"

"She wants to know if I'm into the ladies," Jane snickered. "She followed Traynor into the washrooms while I was in the shower. Either she wanted me to hear what she was saying as a warning – "

"Or an invitation," Cortez called back. "I've heard things about Allers. She's … promiscuous. But discrete."

"Well," Jane laughed. "Needing to guard my every word isn't my idea of ideal post-coital relaxation," she joked to Liara. The asari was looking over Cortez's shoulder at a viewscreen, completely focused on the scene in front of her.

"I'm sorry?" Liara jumped, looking back over her shoulder, startled.

"You ok, Liara?" Garrus asked, concerned

"I am just distracted… Eden Prime," she sighed. "Where it all began."

"You're a romantic, T'soni?" Jane asked, grinning. "I had no idea."

"She's an archeologist, Jane," Garrus replied. "Of  _course_  she's a romantic."

"This is the planet where the prothean beacon gave the Commander a vision warning us about the Reapers," Liara explained. "It seems … right that we're coming back here, don't you think?"

"It's also where Saren launched his first major attack using the geth," Garrus said dryly.

"Came here once for shore leave," Jane mused. "Feels like forever ago now. It was about a year before Saren and the geth."

John let out a short laugh. "Can you believe that was only three years ago? Feels like more, somehow."

"I remember the reports," Garrus said quietly. "I was busting my ass, trying to find proof to bring Saren down. When I found out he'd led an attack while I was mired down by bureaucracy… That was a bad day."

"More of a straight up fight kind of a guy?" Jane asked.

John glanced over in time to see Jane nudging Garrus's foot with her own. She'd sat down and pulled her sword onto her lap, examining the blade closely for nicks. John knew she wouldn't find any – she took care of that sword like it was her baby – but examining her blade was a pre-mission ritual for her.

"Why do you think I joined the crew of the Normandy? Shepard always finds me the best straight up fights out there," Garrus explained, sitting down next to Jane, pulling out the Indra sniper rifle John had recently acquired for him and checking his own weapon.

John sent an amused look at Liara, who was watching the pair with interest. She sent him a small smile of her own. "According to my sources, Cerberus hit Eden Prime hard. There's obviously something major there to call for such an offensive."

"Are there any survivors?" Jane asked.

"On other parts of the colony," Liara replied sadly. "They killed everyone at the dig site."

"Fuck," Jane breathed.

"They deserved better," John agreed quietly.

"I know," Liara replied, her voice soft. "The Alliance did what they could to evacuate the colonists, but Cerberus came in so quickly…"

"If we find survivors, we'll do what we can," John promised the asari.

"What about the artifact?" Jane asked, leaning forward, bracing herself on her knees.

John nodded. "Any idea if it is part of the Crucible?"

"The Alliance didn't get any specifics," Liara answered.

"I suppose  _prothean_  is good enough," Jane joked. "Even if it has nothing to do with the Crucible. It's still  _prothean."_

"Yeah, yeah," John replied. "We can hope, right?"

"Commander, I'm bringing you in as close to the dig site as I can," Cortez called from the controls.

"Have we avoided detection?" John asked, putting a hand on the back of Cortez's chair.

"No way, Commander," Cortez laughed bitterly. "But you should have a few minutes before anyone finds you."

"Understood," John replied. "You sorry lot ready to move?"

"Trying a new motivational technique, Johnnie?" Jane asked, hoisting her sword. "Because I've never felt more motivated than I do right now."

John snorted. "Move out."

"John, I really don't think this is a good idea," Jane warned.

He glanced back at his sister, hidden behind her Recon Hood. "Noted," he nodded, and keyed the final sequence into the cryo pod's control panel.

He stepped back as the pod's cryoseals released. The pod opened with a hiss, revealing the face of the prothean within.

"Jesus," Jane whispered, stepping forward and looking in. "Holy shit. Did you think when you woke up this morning that you'd be laying eyes on a real live  _prothean_  today?"

Liara moved closer as well. "It may take him some time to fully regain consciousness."

As Liara spoke, the frost covering the prothean melted away, his colouring a vibrant blue-green. His lips parted, revealing his predatory teeth. Slowly, the prothean's eyes opened, fluttered briefly, and became aware. His body stiffened and he sent a wave of biotic energy directly into Jane's chest. She went flying backwards with a cry, vanishing from sight.

Despite the instant panic that rushed through him, John stayed focused on the prothean struggling to his feet before them. "Garrus?" John spoke quietly, never taking his eyes from the prothean. Still he wasn't prepared for the second wave of biotic energy the prothean forced out with a guttural yell. John, Liara and Garrus fell heavily to the ground, momentarily dazed by the force of whatever dark energy the prothen hit them with.

"Garrus," John wheezed, pushing himself to his feet and stumbling towards the cryopod.

"I got her, Commander," Garrus managed, gaining his feet and moving to the edge of the platform. "Deal with the prothean."

John turned back to face the alien. He was obviously afraid, his body not quite recovered from his cryogrenic freeze. Still, he managed to stagger to his feet, climbing awkwardly over the side of the pod before falling heavily to the ground on his hands and knees. His armor looked as shiny and new as though it were minted yesterday, not fifty thousand years ago.

The prothean pushed himself up, confusion and panic written in every move, every part of his body. Slowly, he started backing away.

"Be careful," Liara warned, gaining her feet. "He's confused."

"You think?" John snapped, irritated, following the prothean closely, but staying out of range of his biotic blast.

The prothean started to jog. John was momentarily impressed that he was managing such coordination, when the alien fell to his knees once again. When the prothean again managed to push himself to his feet, he finally looked out over Eden Prime. He stilled in an instant.

John approached slowly, not wanting to startle the alien. Liara was warning him about something, but John blocked her out. He always did best in these situations when he rolled with the punches.

He cast himself back to when he woke up from the dead, a stranger's voice in his ear, unfamiliar surroundings. Nothing much made sense, so he'd focused on the one thing he could understand.

Miranda's words. Her words had made sense in the maelstrom of confusion in his mind, but he came up short with helpful words for this soldier in front of him who was last awake fifty thousand years ago.

"Hey," John said quietly instead, stepping forward, and put a hand on the prothean's shoulder. As soon as his hand touched the prothean, John was jerked back into a prothean vision. The third he'd had so far.

 _This_  trip, he reminded himself.

This vision was the most devastating. John's heart broke when the prothean learned of the fate of his people.  _God,_  John hoped he wouldn't have to witness the extinction of the current galactic civilization.

"…  _pods will be_ _triaged appropriately…"_  John felt his heart – the prothean's heart – twist in pain at the VI's words. The last, best hope to rebuild a galactic empire to be turned off to save power. " _You will be the voice of our people._ "

 _No pressure,_  John snorted.

"I will be more than that," the voice echoed strangely in his memory, as the prothean before him spoke through gritted teeth.

The alien jerked from John's grasp. John opened his eyes to find the armor-clad being once again on his knees before him.

"John!"

He glanced back at the source of the cry. Garrus was helping Jane limp along, all but carrying her. She had a stubborn look on her face, John was pretty sure she was staunchly refusing to be carried. And likely regretting her decision, if the look of pain on her face – and the pace at which they were walking – was any indication.

"How many others are left?" The prothean asked, four eyes focused on John's face.

John looked back at the prothean. "Just you."

The alien slumped, all the fight going out of him. "I see."

"You can understand us?" Jane asked the prothen as she and Garrus neared, her face pinched, gloved hands clutching at Garrus's arm tightly.

"Yes," the prothean replied, glancing at Jane, then back to John. "Now that I have read your physiology, your nervous system… it is enough to understand your language."

"So you were reading  _me?"_  John said incredulously. "While I was seeing – "

"Our last moments," the prothean regained his feet, and turned to face John. "Our failure."

"Your people did everything they could," John said, his voice intense. "They never gave up." He paused, then grinned at the alien. "I could use some of that commitment now."

John's comm beeped, and he pressed two fingers to his ear.

" _Commander, whatever you did has Cerberus really interested,"_  Cortez reported.

The prothean looked towards Garrus, Liara and Jane. "Asari," he spat. "Human. Turian. I am surrounded by primitives."

" _Excuse_  me?" Jane asked, her voice incredulous.

John turned around, and sent Jane a warning look. "It isn't safe here. Will you join us?"

The prothean turned back to John. "You fight the Reapers?"

"Yes," John replied.

The prothean paused, the nodded. "Then we will see. I am Javik."

John extended his hand towards the prothean. "Commander John Shepard."

"Yes. I know." Javik looked down at John's hand for a long moment, before turning away without comment. The prothean walked towards the shuttle waiting for them a few feet away, stepping inside.

John pressed two fingers to his comm. "Cortez, the new guy in the back is a friend. Be… polite."

Liara, a startled look on her face, rushed after Javik. "There are so many things I have to  _ask_  him!" She muttered as she rushed away. John could hear the first question falling from her lips before she fully boarded the shuttle.

"What an ass," Jane said, looking at her brother incredulously. "Seriously? You want  _him_  on the crew?"

John looked at his sister, a warning look on his face. "Not interested in your opinion, Jane. He's fought the Reapers before; he has  _invaluable_  information. So shut it about him. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's fine."

Garrus made a quiet rumbling sound. "She can't put  _any_  weight on her right leg."

"It'll  _be_  fine, then," she snapped, glaring up at Garrus.

"Need help?" John asked Garrus.

"I got her," Garrus replied.

"Uh, hello," Jane snarled. "I'm right here."

"She's a pretty shitty patient," John said to Garrus. "Let me know if you need a hand."

"Must run in the family," Garrus joked. "I'll let you know if I need help."

Jane struggled with Garrus briefly as John watched, amused. The turian waited patiently for Jane to stop her half-hearted struggles before adjusting his grip on her and resuming their slow pace.

"I could carry you, if you want," Garrus said quietly, almost too low for John to catch. "Your biometrics are reflecting the amount of pain you're in. You're  _allowed_  to accept help."

Jane let out a tight breath. "I'll let you know," she replied to him, her voice resigned.

The pair pulled ahead, still speaking to each other in low tones, when suddenly John was struck by how much he missed Tali. He hadn't really thought about the quarian too much since he'd left Earth – he knew she was alive and with the quarian migrant fleet and for now that was enough.

But he missed her. Everything about her. Seeing the tenderness between Garrus and Jane only reminded him how much he missed having someone to be quiet with after a battle. He watched as Garrus helped Jane into the shuttle with a pang.

Resigned, John walked back to the shuttle, and pushed all thoughts of Tali away.

* * *

After debriefing with Hackett, John stopped by the medbay to see how Jane's leg was doing.

He paused in the door, surprise etched on his face when he saw the pressure cast that covered her lower leg up to her knee. Jane's armor was folded neatly on a chair next to her bed, and she was sprawled on the bed clad only in her tiny shorts and a sports bra.

"Shit, how long do you have to have that on for?" John demanded, walked to her bedside. As he walked by Mordin, he clapped a hand down on the salarian's shoulder, and nodded at Eve before sitting down next to Jane's bed. "Will you be able to report for duty in a week?"

"Commander," Dr. Michel handed Jane a glass of water and two white tablets. Jane tossed the pills in her mouth and chased them with a swallow of water. "If the Lieutenant does exactly what I tell her to do she'll be ready to report for duty on the Citadel in a week."

"Jane? Follow Dr. Michel's orders. That's an order," John sighed. "What the hell happened, anyways?"

"Javik's biotic blast knocked me off the platform," Jane muttered. She looked paler than normal. "Landed about ten feet below, came down wrong on my leg. Crack."

"How'd you get up?"

"Garrus  _carried_  me," Jane spat out in disgust. "God, I managed to get to my feet, put weight on my leg, cried out like some damsel in distress and he was there  _just_  in time to catch me."

John snickered. "It's kind of romantic."

"Shut up," she snapped.

"Don't you think? Your knight in shining blue armor? Swooping in to save you in the nick of time?"

"John," Jane glared at him, eyes dangerous. John knew her well enough to read the pain in the slight squint to her eyes. "I'm serious. Would you please shut up?"

"Touchy," John smirked at her, then gestured at her leg. "Hurt?"

Jane nodded. "Yeah," she said shortly. "A bit. I can handle it."

John sent her a sympathetic look and sat back in his chair. He looked at Jane for a long moment, watching as Dr. Michel wandered a short distance away. He looked at his sister, his eyes narrow for a long moment. There was something there between his sister and Garrus. He was sure of it.

And the end of the world was possibly around the corner. Wouldn't he want his sister and his best friend to be happy in what  _could_  be the end of days?

Maybe it was time for some heavy-handed match making.

"Look, Jane," John let out a small breath, then continued, his voice pitched low. "Um. I know I've been teasing you about it a lot," he paused, and met her eye. "But the Garrus thing? Doesn't bother me at all. I… I want you – both of you – to be happy. And since this isn't exactly an Alliance ship," he shrugged with a grin.

Jane instantly flushed red, and John chuckled at the sight. "Look, John, I… let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

John snorted out a laugh. "Do you like him?"

Jane blushed a deeper red. "Shut up."

"Do you?"

Jane shrugged, then gave a tiny nod, slumping back on the bed. "Chloe? Can I go back to my quarters now?"

The doctor, who was standing a few feet away, turned around at Jane's words.

"Don't put any weight on the leg for the next few days, and I'll give you exercises when the bone has healed enough to take it," Dr. Michel said as she handed Jane a pair of crutches.

"Thanks," Jane sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She took a deep breath, pushed herself off the bed and balanced herself on the crutches. The doctor nodded, and handed John a small bottle of pills.

"Will you help the Lieutenant to her room, Commander?" Dr. Michel requested. "These are her pain pills, she should take two of them every four hours."

"Thanks, Dr. Michel," John smiled at the Swiss doctor, and followed his sister out of the medbay, grabbing her weapons and gear on his way out.

"Commander?"

The pair paused halfway across the mess. Diana Allers walked towards the siblings with a determined look on her face. "Yeah, Allers?"

"Traynor mentioned you wanted to have a word with me?" Diana smiled, looking dangerous and friendly. "I was wondering if maybe I could interview you as well?"

John nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said, resigned. "I'll call you up to my quarters later today."

"Great, Commander, thank you," Diana replied. She paused, and gave Jane a slow look, starting at her feet and working her way up to finally meet her eyes. "Lieutenant."

Jane grunted, and swung herself towards Life Support as quickly as she was able. John followed inside, putting her gear on an empty shelf, and putting her pain pills on the small table next to her cot.

Jane sat down on the cot, and laid back, an irritated look on her face.

"I know you hate sitting still," John said. "Can I bring you weapons that need servicing? Tech we're planning on throwing away? An assortment of vids?"

Jane huffed out a laugh. "I'll think about it," she replied, closing her eyes. "These pills are strong," she observed, her voice slurring slightly.

"Get some rest, Janey," John ordered in a fond voice, and walked out of Life Support. He took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator, steeling himself for a conversation with Javik.

* * *

John had almost backed out of Grunt's old quarters at the sight of the prothean's new … lair on Deck 4. Liara had gone all out, taking  _everything_  she'd learned about prothean culture and fitting it into the small space that used to overlook the shuttle bay.

He'd wound up cutting their conversation short, knowing he didn't have the patience for being diplomatic. John had cut Javik off mid-rant about krogan and their redundant testicles, snapping at him that he didn't have to  _like_  the crew aboard the ship but he  _did_  have to show them respect.

Javik had drawn himself up to protest, when John had cut him off sharply.

" _They've proven themselves. You haven't. We're heading to Kite's Nest to extract a batarian artifact. You'll be part of the extraction squad. No major missions until I_ know _you can handle yourself. Got it?"_

Javik had staunchly refused to respond after that, and John had escape with a helpless shrug at Liara before returning to the crew deck.

When John rounded the corner from the elevator into the mess, he found Garrus digging through the fridge with a helpless look on his face.

"Hey," John greeted, reaching around the turian and pulling out a beer. "Jane was right. Javik is an ass."

Garrus laughed, never taking his eyes away from the fridge. He picked up a bottle of ketchup, squinted his eyes at it, and shook his head, settling the bottle aside.

"What are you doing?' John asked curiously, taking a long pull from the bottle.

"I thought I'd bring Jane dinner," Garrus said, frustration evident in his voice. "But I have no idea what you humans eat."

"She's awake?"

"Yeah I checked on her a few minutes ago. She's in a bad mood," Garrus shrugged. "Doesn't like the forced bed rest."

"Yeah, she's like that," John laughed. "I'll help you with dinner," he offered. "I know all her favorites."

Garrus sent John a grateful look, before turning back to the fridge.

"Excuse me, Garrus?"

Both John and Garrus looked back at the doctor standing quietly behind them.

"Hi, Dr. Michel," Garrus greeted, turning away from the fridge.

Sending Garrus an amused smile, John started digging through a cupboard, pulling out a bright blue box of pasta. After filling a pot with water and setting it on the stove, heat turned up high, John settled in to eavesdrop shamelessly.

"If you're hungry," the doctor said, her voice quiet, warm and a bit nervous. "I bought you some dextro chocolate the last time we were at the Citadel."

John, smothering a snort of laughter, pulled a small package containing dried cheese mix out of the pasta box, and set it aside. He pushed the immobile Garrus out of his way, and dug through the fridge, pulling out milk and butter. Setting those ingredients aside, John turned and leaned against the counter, watching the doctor and turian in amusement.

Garrus was staring at the woman, his mandibles flared in surprise, backing away into the counter slowly. "Thanks, Dr. Michel, but I think – "

"Call me Chloe," the redhead invited, stepping close. She pressed the box of chocolates into Garrus's hands, holding hers around his for a long moment. "I have to get back to medbay." She sent him a lingering gaze before heading slowly back to the medbay, a deliberate sway to her walk.

Garrus turned to John, his mandibles slack in surprise. "What just happened?"

Laughing, John reached out and took the chocolates. "I'll take these, thank you very much," he said. "As for what happened? Dr. Michel just made a move on you."

Garrus froze, his eyes wide on John's face. "No."

"Sorry big guy, the truth hurts..." John was still snickering. "Still interested in learning how to make Jane's favorite food? Or are you shifting your sights to someone else?"

Garrus approached the stove slowly, and watched as John poured pasta into boiling water. "I've been meaning to ask you about Dr. Chakwas, actually. The ship feels wrong without her."

"I know," John sighed, stirring the pot a few times. "After Aratoht, she was diagnosed with a degenerative disease. She was on earth, being treated, when the Reapers came. She's been MIA ever since."

"I miss her," Garrus glanced at the chocolates John had tossed carelessly onto the counter.

"Yeah, me too," John shrugged. "Dr. Michel seems to be doing alright, though."

Garrus muttered something under his breath, and pointed at the pot. "What is this, anyways?"

"My mom used to make it," John explained, tossing the small package of dried cheese mix to Garrus. "Mac'n'cheese. Except, she'd make it from scratch, and only for special occasions. I can't eat this stuff, nothing compares to mom's mac'n'cheese, but the boxed crap is Jane's comfort food."

"They look like  _pikka_ worms," Garrus observed, watching the small pieces of pasta moving in the boiling water.

"I'd keep that to yourself when you give her a bowl," John explained, patting Garrus on the back and handing him a wooden spoon. "Follow the instructions on the cheese sauce – they're written in galactic standard – and take a bowl to Jane. You'll be her hero."

Garrus stared at John, gaze shuttered. "Shepard…"

"Chill out, make the cheese sauce and go take her some food," John grinned at Garrus. "Trust me, Garrus. You can't screw this up."

Garrus looked down at the decking, before looking back at John. "Shepard, if it were my sister, I don't know that I'd – "

"Look, Vakarian," John pointed at the water, and Garrus obediently stirred the boiling water. "Jane grew up without me. She survived, found her way, and … fuck, who am I to say who she can and can't be with?" John grinned at Garrus. "She's a grown ass woman, Vakarian. She can make her own choices. And If I had to pick for her, you'd be pretty high on my list of optimal candidates, so…"

"Why?" Garrus asked, his head cocked to the side, gaze inscrutable.

John laughed. "Because you follow my orders, Vakarian," John snorted. Garrus let out a loud laugh. "Seriously? Because you're honorable and loyal," John shrugged. "Because… I trust you." John paused and gave Garrus a considering look. "It's about time we made you my official XO, isn't it?"

The look of surprise on Garrus's face was comical to the extreme.

"EDI?" John called out. "Can I give Garrus a field promotion, make him my XO?"

" _The Normandy is your vessel, Commander,"_  EDI replied.  _"You can do what you want aboard your vessel."_

"Make it so, then," John grinned.

" _Logged, Gunnery Chief Vakarian has been promoted to Executive Officer of the SSV Normandy,"_  EDI's voice flooded the speakers around the ship.

"Congratulations, Garrus," John grinned. "The pasta needs three more minutes, and don't forget the cheese sauce. Go heavy on the butter, she likes extra."

John laughed to himself as he walked away, leaving the flummoxed Garrus behind.

"Cheese sauce, Vakarian," he called back over his shoulder. "Don't forget."

As John rode the elevator up to the loft, his levity and amusement fell away from him. John sighed, pressing his forehead into the elevator wall.

" _Are you well, Commander?"_

"EDI… when it's just you and me, could you call me John?"

There was a pause. _"Are you well, John?"_

He laughed. "No."

" _Do you miss Tali'Zorah?"_

"Yeah," he sighed. "I wish she were here. It's … easier when she's here."

" _I find that things are easier when I spend time with Jeff, also,"_  EDI said quietly as the elevator arrived and John walked into his quarters.  _"Is that normal?"_

"It is," John smiled, leaning up against his fish tank. "It is normal. And human."

" _I think that I like being normal and human, John,"_  EDI replied. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"I like it, too, EDI," John replied quietly. "Congratulations."

EDI was quiet for a moment.  _"Thank you, John,"_  she said, her voice pitched low through the speakers.

John smiled. "You're welcome, EDI."

" _Would you like me to play recordings of Tali'Zorah for you?"_  EDI asked, her voice sympathetic.

John sighed, and nodded. "Yes, please."

"…  _Bosh'tet…"_ Tali's voice, soft and amused, flooded the speakers, and John let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob.  _"Oh, John, you stupid idiot, give me that modification, you're butchering the upgrade."_  Suddenly she shrieked, laughing, and John closed his eyes, sliding down the fish tank until he was sitting on the floor, his head resting on his knees.

" _You fool,"_  she said softly.  _"I love you."_

John remembered the night of the recording. Weeks after their suicide run on the Collector Base, days before Aratoht, John and Tali had been sitting in the loft, drinking.

As always, with Tali, she'd been using her downtime to be productive, installing upgrades to her omnitool. John had decided he'd help her, wanting to get her out of her suit as fast as possible. It hadn't taken him long to muck everything up, but he'd made it up to her in spades.

Another recording of Tali's voice cued up, this time the two were talking quietly about power couplings in engineering. It was everyday, mundane ship life conversation, and it was exactly what John wanted to hear.

John made his way to the bed. He curled up on his side, and let the memories take him away from the ship, from the war, and instead thought only of his hilarious quarian, her gentle touches and nervous chatter.

Thoughts of her sent him to sleep, a smile on his face that only EDI could see.


	11. Chapter 11

**2171**

_Jane squinted at her assignment, rubbing her temple absently, trying to stave off the headache. It was late, Bob had long since gone to bed, but she still wasn't done her homework._

_The lights in the kitchen were bright, not helping her situation much, but if she worked on the couch a few feet away she'd probably fall asleep. Jethro, Jane and Bob had moved into this apartment shortly after Pat's death three years ago. It was small, but it was home._

_One of the older gang members had pretended to be Jane's dad, and they'd been given the two bedroom place without too much hassle. The landlord had no idea that there were only teenagers living in the apartment._

_The door opened, revealing Jethro._

" _Hey," he greeted. "What the hell are you still doing up? It's almost 2:00."_

" _Homework," Jane replied, stretching. "Almost done, though. How'd the job go?"_

_Jethro dropped down to the couch with a sigh. "Same old," he replied, taking off his shoes. "Bob's asleep?"_

_Jane nodded. "Yeah, she crashed pretty early."_

_Jethro smiled faintly. He and Bob had started going out in the last few months. Jethro had been waiting until Bob was older, but their connection ran deep. Something about the quiet girl drew Jethro to her. They'd quickly grown inseparable._

_Jane turned back to her homework._

" _K, too bad, kid, but your work is going to be pretty shitty this late at night," Jethro pulled her chair back from the table. "Bed, now."_

" _Fine," Jane muttered. "But I'm setting my alarm for really early to finish."_

" _You do that," Jethro said pushing her into her room. Jane glanced over at Bob's bed, and snorted to see that she wasn't sleeping there. Probably crashed out in Jethro's bed._

_Bob almost never slept in their room anymore, not since the two started having sex. Jane appreciated the privacy, but she missed having someone to talk to in the middle of the night._

_Sleep found her quickly._

* * *

_Her omnitool sounding in her ear woke her up. Jane pushed herself out of bed, feeling incredibly tired, but knowing she still had a good hour's worth of homework left to do before classes started._

_She shuffled into the kitchen, and put a pot of coffee on. They'd run out of milk the day before, and sugar last week, so Jane resigned herself to drinking it black and started in on her work._

_Bob emerged from Jethro's room around 7:00, when Jane was already halfway through the pot of coffee and putting the finishing touches on her assignments._

" _Did you get_ any _sleep, Gadget?" Bob asked, yawning. Jane glanced over at her short friend. She was wearing an oversized tee-shirt, displaying her stocky, muscular legs._

" _Yeah, Jethro came in around two and made me go to bed," Jane yawned._

_Blushing, Bob sent Jane a grin. "Yeah, I know what time he came home," she sang out quietly._

_Jane snorted. "We don't have much to eat."_

" _Let's go grocery shopping after school?"_

" _I can't, I have to go to the lab," Jane sighed. "Have to work on the detonator for the boom sticks." She rolled her eyes. "Finch wants them impossible to disarm."_

" _Gadget," Bob warned. "You're spreading yourself too thin," she sat down across the table from Jane and took her hand. "You need to take better care of yourself, or you're going to get sick, make mistakes."_

_Jane sent Bob a quick grin. "I'm ok, Bob, don't worry so much. I'm going to jump in the shower."_

" _Hot water's out again," Bob warned._

_Her glacially cold shower was as fast as she could make it, and she was shivering violently by the time she got out and pulled on her clothes for school. Jethro was still sleeping when Bob and Jane left for school._

_It was a cold November day, and Jane shivered against the New York weather. She'd pulled a beanie over her wet hair, her hands buried deep in the pockets of her worn coat._

_Bob glanced over at Jane, and shook her head. "We should get you a new coat," Bob mused. "Maybe for your birthday, or something?"_

_Jane shrugged. "I'm fine."_

" _You're_ shivering!" _Bob exclaimed. "You never spend credits on yourself, Jethro should have hauled in enough last night to buy you a new coat. Used, maybe?"_

" _Bob, when did you turn into such a worrywart mom?" Jane asked, laughing. Bob was right. Jane never spent a credit more than she had to, putting the rest in a savings account. She always had enough saved up to cover rent if they were short, but she only dipped into the fund when it was dire._

_She was saving all her credits for when she was old enough to get away from the Reds, old enough to be out on her own. She'd maybe go to school. University, or something. Get a degree, make money. Do good things._

_Bob pressed her lips together. "Can I tell you something?"_

_Jane looked at Bob, surprised. "You can tell me anything, Bob. You know that."_

" _Promise?" Bob stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to face Jane. "Oh, God. I'm pregnant, Gadget."_

_Jane's eyes widened. "Shit, what are you going to do?"_

_Bob shook her head. "I have no idea," she replied. "I just don't know."_

_Jane pulled Bob into a tight hug. "It's going to be ok, Bob. I promise."_

_Bob hugged her back, her grip crushing._

" _It's going to be ok."_

* * *

_Jane yawned widely when she walked into the lab. Jethro was there, hunched over a workbench, and Bob was sitting next to him, watching over his shoulder._

" _Hey," she greeted. "Where are the boom sticks?"_

_Bob gestured absently at a back room, and Jane walked in, sniffling. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she worried that Bob was right and she'd run herself down and was sick._

_The bombs sitting in front of her were in long, narrow pipes, the reason they'd been nicknamed the boom sticks. Bob had developed the bombs, and Jane was responsible for making sure that only the person who sets the bomb can disarm it._

_Bob had an affinity for making things explode, a talent that Finch exploited as often as he could. When Bob learned how to create controlled explosions to break through floors, Finch had gone on a rampage, hitting every place he could._

_Jane opened her omnitool, and pulled up the blueprints she'd been working on. The detonator was a complicated piece of tech. Jane was thrilled with the results._

_She coughed into her arm, and set to work._

* * *

" _Should we wake her up?"_

_Jane blinked. Her face was pressed into the hard surface of the workbench, eyes inches away from the boom sticks. She felt wretched._

" _Gadget?" A hand dropped to her shoulder. "Come, kid, time to wake up."_

_Sniffling, Jane pushed herself up until she was sitting up. "Time is it?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes, coughing._

" _It's nine," Jethro replied. "Let's go home, you can finish the detonators later, when you've gotten a good night's sleep. In this state you'll make mistakes."_

_Jane nodded, coughing again._

_Bob stepped forward, worried. "You ok, Gadget?" The older girl pressed a hand to Jane's face. "Shit, Jethro, she's burning up."_

" _I'm ok," Jane protested, standing up. "I just need some Tylenol and sleep."_

" _Let's go home," Bob pulled Jane up, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Let's spring for a cab, ok?"_

_Jane nodded. "Yeah, ok."_

_Jethro used his omnitool to call a cab to the diner around the corner, and the trio made their way towards the brightly lit diner._

" _Shit," Jethro turned back as they reached the door. "I forgot something back at the lab, I'll be right back. Don't leave without me."_

_He sprinted down the street, and Bob ushered Jane into the diner. "Want a hot chocolate to go?" Bob asked, leading Jane to the counter. "The cab'll take long enough to get here that we can order one."_

_Jane nodded, shivering again._

" _Hey, Kelly," Bob called to the waitress behind the counter. "Can we get a hot chocolate, to go?"_

" _Sure thing," Kelly replied. "Gimme a sec."_

_Bob turned to grin at Jane when a sudden explosion sounded, shaking the ground beneath their feet._

_Jane and Bob looked at each other in sudden horror, before running for the door. They burst onto the street and out into a nightmare._

_The labs were completely destroyed, burning._

"JETHRO!" _Bob screamed._

_Jane's eyes widened and she froze, seeing the crumpled body of the older boy laying amidst the rubble from the building. Bob ran to his side, dropping to her knees._

" _Gadget, what do I do?" Bob sobbed, looking to the younger girl in despair. "Gadget, please, help me."_

_But Jane could only stare in horror, until the vomit rumbled up into her mouth, and she was collapsing onto her hands and knees, throwing up._

" _Somebody_ help me!" _Bob screamed. "Please, someone…"_

* * *

" _Kevin LaFloche?"_

_Bob jumped up. "Here. Me. I'm his. He's…"_

" _It's ok, kid," the doctor said, his voice gentle._

_Jane moved slowly, slinking close to Bob, staying quiet._

" _Mr. LaFloche – "_

" _He likes Jethro," Bob whispered. "He doesn't like his real name."_

_The doctor nodded. "Jethro, then. Jethro sustained heavy injuries. He is going to survive, but you have to prepare yourselves. We do not yet know the full extend of the effects of his injuries."_

_Jane felt tears fill her eyes. "What do you mean?" She cried out._

" _Jethro sustained a severe trauma to his spine," the doctor explained. "He is currently showing signs of paralysis, but the spinal cord hasn't been severed. There is a chance he'll regain mobility, but it won't be until after he's undergone months of healing, and months of rehab."_

_Jane dropped her head into her hands, crying._

" _Quiet, Gadget," Bob said softly. "He'll live?"_

" _He'll live," the doctor replied._

" _That's enough," Bob nodded. "Can I see him? Gadget here is sick, so maybe one of the doctors could take a look at her?"_

_The doctor looked at the crying Jane, and nodded. "I'll get a nurse to show you to Mr. La… I mean, to Jethro's room."_

" _Thank you," Bob replied. "Gadget, go with the doctor," she instructed. "Then go home. Take a cab. I'll be there when I can."_

" _Bob," Jane whispered, reaching for her hand. Bob shook it off, sending Jane a cold look._

" _I told you to sleep," Bob snapped. "I told you to take care of yourself. I warned you you'd make mistakes!_

_Jane's eyes widened impossibly. "I don't… I…"_

" _The boom sticks are the only thing it could have been, Gadget," Bob hissed quietly. "The_ only _explosives in the lab. You made a mistake. And Jethro almost died because of it. Might be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life because of it." Bob drew herself up and away. "Now I'm going to go see the father of my baby, and you're going to go take care of yourself so that nothing like this_ ever happens again," _Bob moved close to Jane, eyes narrow. "Understand?"_

_Jane nodded, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry, Bob – "_

" _I don't want to hear it," Bob snapped. "Doctor, she's all yours. Where is the nurse?"_

_With that, Bob disappeared into the hospital, leaving a broken hearted Jane behind._

* * *

**2186**

"Jane?"

"Yeah, come in," Jane called, sprawled in her bed, her broken leg throbbing in pain.

Garrus appeared around the corner, holding a tray in his hands. "I brought you dinner."

"Thank you," she smiled and she pushed herself up. After some cursing and maneuvering, Jane finally managed to scoot back and lean against the bulkhead behind her cot. "What'd you bring?"

"Um… I don't remember what it is called," Garrus handed her the tray, and sat down on the chair next to her desk.

"Mac'n'cheese!" Jane exclaimed. "Oh my god, this is my favorite.  _Thank_  you."

"Good," Garrus breathed, looking stunned.

Jane sent him a narrow eyed look. "Are you ok?"

"Your brother just made me his XO," Garrus said, his voice inflectionless.

"I heard, congratulations!" Jane exclaimed. "That's fantastic, you definitely deserve it. When I'm mobile, we'll have to celebrate." She laughed. "Well, when I get back from my N7 mission, at least."

Garrus let out a long breath. "I… I can't believe…"

"Why not? There's no one on this boat he trusts more than you," Jane said simply, stabbing the cheesy meal in front of her with a fork, and popped it into her mouth with a quiet moan. "This is so fucking  _good_ , Garrus. Thank you."

The turian was quiet, his eyes middle distance from her. "Not even you?" He finally asked.

"Huh?"

"You said that there's no one on this boat he trusts more than me," Garrus replied. "Not even you?"

She chuckled. "I'd be a terrible XO. I'm awful at taking orders, worse at filing reports…" she shrugged. "So is John, but for whatever reason, that makes him a hero. That and the Alliance surrounds him with people who are good at the things he's shitty at."

Garrus let out a long sigh. "My father is going to… Well, I don't know. But my being the XO aboard a mostly human crewed Spectre ship? Let's just say it isn't really what he wanted for me."

"What does he want for you?" Jane asked, curious.

"To be a thorough, hard-working C-Sec Officer," Garrus replied. "To do the work he did. Although, I think he understands that the work I'm doing is important."

"Tell me about him," she requested, resting her head back and closing her eyes.

He was silent for a long moment, so Jane lifted her head and focused on him again. "Or not," she said simply. "It's ok, I'm just bored. You don't have to tell me about him if you don't want to."

"It isn't that," Garrus struggled to explain. "It's complicated."

"I get it, Garrus," Jane sent him an easy smile. "Really, no worries."

"I just haven't heard from him… Or my sister, since before I left Menae," Garrus said quickly. "I'm terrified… My mom… she died. Before the Reapers invaded. I got to see her before she passed, and she made me promise to take care of them. And I don't even know if they're  _alive."_

"I'm sorry about your mom, Garrus," Jane scooted down the bed, setting her tray aside and reached out to take his hand, squeezing tightly. "But if your dad and sister are even a little bit like you, they'll get out of this just fine."

He met her eyes and smiled, grateful. "Thanks," he breathed.

"Did you bring dinner for yourself?" She asked suddenly.

Garrus stared at her in momentary surprise. "No, I…"

"Go get yourself something to eat," Jane suggested. "Then come back and have dinner with me." She grinned. "Go fast," she said with a smile. "I don't think I can wait too long before I shovel the rest of this into my mouth."

Garrus stood up, laughing nervously. "I'll be right back."

Jane scooted back and relaxed against the bulkhead, letting out a long sigh. "Hey, EDI, is John ok?"

" _The Commander is well, Lieutenant,"_  EDI replied.

"You'll tell me if he wasn't, right?" Jane asked, biting at her lip, worried.

" _I will, Lieutenant. The Commander is sleeping right now,"_  EDI reported.  _"He is well, Lieutenant, I promise."_

"Thank you, EDI," Jane said softly.

Moments later, Garrus returned to Life Support, a bowl full of something that looked like noodles but smelled like blood in hand.

Jane sent the turian a smile, and put a forkful of mac'n'cheese in her mouth. "Sit," she gestured widely, including both the chair by her desk and the corner of her cot. She grinned widely when he sat on the side of her bed.

"Thanks for inviting me to dinner," Garrus said with a small, turian grin.

"You can have dinner with me any day, Vakarian," Jane replied seriously, and ate more mac'n'cheese. "Especially if you keep bringing me this stuff."

Garrus smiled at her, and turned back to his food. They ate quietly for a few moments, before Garrus took a deep breath. "My dad wasn't an easy man to have as a father," he said haltingly.

Jane froze with her fork halfway to her mouth, eyes wide on his face.

"He had a lot of expectations," he continued. "Of me, my future… I remember he used to make me hold a rifle for hours, not letting me go in until I managed to hit all the targets." Garrus sighed and leaned back.

The fork finished its journey to her mouth. After chewing for a moment, she swallowed, and pushed the now empty tray off her cot. "Seems unfair, to put that much pressure on a kid. Shouldn't they just be kids?"

"Not for turians," Garrus replied, his voice amused. "I started learning military history from about the first moment I can remember. My father, every time he was home on Palaven, he would spend hours going over military doctrine, morality, logic,  _target practice,"_  he laughed. "Everything he thought he could teach me to be the perfect little C-Sec officer, he  _forced_  into me."

"Sounds like he cared a lot, at least," Jane said, thinking of Pat, and all the kids she'd helped take care of. She was hard on them, pushed them.  _Because_  she cared. And because she wanted them to have the best childhood she could provide. Her's had been a wash, but the kids in her care… she'd done right by them as best she was able.

Garrus laughed, the sound bitter. "That's what he used to say.  _Garrus, I'm only being this hard on you because I care about you, son."_

"I guess when you're on the receiving end of it, it doesn't sound like fatherly affection," she smiled at him tightly. "I… um, I had to take care of a lot of people, when I was younger," she said, not meeting his eye, feeling her cheeks flush with nerves. "Kids," she explained. "My foster mom, Pat. She… Well, you heard on Benning," she glanced over.

Garrus nodded. "Yeah. But you can tell me. If you want."

"I'll tell you one day," she picked at the edge of her pressure cast. "Later. But there were other kids. It wasn't just the two of us, it felt like she brought home a new homeless kid every other week. But, it was good. I mean, that's how she found me, that's how I landed on my feet. She took me in," Jane ground her teeth together, taking a deep breath the moment her voice wavered.

"It's hard," she went on. "Being responsible for people, you know? When I couldn't take care of Pat's kids anymore… It wasn't a good time for me," she let out a long breath. "I felt like I'd failed them. Let them down. And then there was an accident with the crew I ran with," she glanced over at Garrus out of the corner of her eye. "That's something else that'll have to go on the 'I'll tell you one day' list of things to tell you. But it was my fault. And someone I care about got hurt."

Garrus took Jane's hand in his own, and squeezed, saying nothing.

"I requested solo gigs when I graduated from the ICT and received my N7 designation," Jane continued. "I've never really felt comfortable having people rely on me since."

"You do alright with us," Garrus observed, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand.

"I trust Johnnie," she said by way of explanation. "And you, too. Makes it easier, somehow."

Garrus nodded. "And scarier, because if you fuck up, something will go even more terribly wrong?"

Wordlessly, Jane nodded, then leaned into his side, resting her head on his heavily armored chest.

Garrus was still for a long moment, before he relaxed, and wrapped his arm around Jane's shoulder. "It was my dad who taught me how to shoot. And to love shooting, too. But I was more like my mom than my dad, so I never really had much in common with him. He wanted me to follow the rules and I wanted to be a Spectre."

Jane relaxed into his side, fighting to stay awake. "What's your best memory of him?"

He laughed quietly, the rumble of it making its way through his armor and into her bones. "I don't know… "

"A memory that makes you smile," she needled, poking him between plates of armor.

"Everything was always a lecture with him," Garrus shrugged. "Even when I was on Palaven before the Reapers invaded. He listened to me, sure, but then he  _lectured_  me for hours after getting me a viewing with Primarch Fedorian."

"Any particularly good lectures?" Jane's eyes drifted closed.

"Once I called him," Garrus said suddenly, his tone almost brusque. It was enough of a shift in the tone of his voice that Jane's eyes flew open, and fixed to his predatory eyes. "Dad. When I thought I was going to die, on Omega. Holding off three merc bands for days. I was running low on heat sinks, and stims, and food… I was exhausted, and had all but lost hope, and I just wanted… To make it ok between us. You know? If I was going to die, I wanted my dad to know that I was sorry for being such a shit."

Jane let out a soft laugh at that. "What did he say?"

"He knew," Garrus replied. "Right away, before I could say anything, he knew something was off. And we talked. Not about anything  _specific,_  but I think it was the first time that we were speaking to each other and hearing what the other was saying. I hung up when I saw your brother through my scope."

"Wow," Jane breathed. "There's a bit more to this rocket to the face story than you originally told me, isn't there?"

Garrus sent her an amused look. "To be filed under things 'I'll tell you one day.'"

"Noted," Jane's eyes drifted shut again, and she let herself relax more deeply against Garrus's side.

"Jane?" Garrus whispered.

"Mmm?"

"Never mind," he said after a long pause. "Go to sleep."

* * *

Jane's eyes snapped open to the sound of the Life Support doors hissing open, then shut again.

The room was dark. She was on her side on her cot, blankets tucked carefully around her. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep to the sound of Garrus's voice.

He must have tucked her in. The doors hissing open must have been Garrus leaving her room.

She let her eyes close, and smiled faintly, thinking of the turian.

She'd given up denying it – at least to herself. Everything about him was interesting, or sexy, or just plain hot. Or all three. She sighed softly, and let her hand trail down her stomach and into her shorts.

"Who are you thinking about?"

Jane gasped, her eyes flying open.

"Ah, the turian."

One hand reached for the Paladin she now stashed under her bed, and mindful of her cast, she sat up, aiming for the voice. "EDI, lights."

The lights in Life Support came up, revealing Javik standing just outside of the short corridor into Life Support.

Jane didn't lower the gun. "What the fuck are you doing in here?"

"I am exploring this vessel," he replied, nonplussed.

"Why in the fuck did you think it was ok to come in here when someone was sleeping? How long have you  _been_  here?" Jane demanded, her tone growing more shrill.

He shrugged. "You are a primitive being. Why should I care?"

Jane's jaw dropped, and she tightened her grip on the Paladin.

The door to Life Support opened again, revealing John.

"What the hell is going on?" He snapped, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"He came in while I was sleeping," Jane spoke quietly, her voice low. "He was  _watching_  me."

John's eyes widened marginally, and he turned to look at Javik for a long moment. "That's not acceptable on this ship, Javik," John said evenly.

"I fail to see what I have done wrong," Javik said simply.

"You read John's physiology enough to learn how to talk to us, but you didn't learn enough to know that coming into someone's room when they're sleeping is creepy and wrong?" Jane demanded, incredulous.

"Your door was not locked, and you woke up when I came in," Javik made a small apologetic gesture. "When you said nothing I assumed you knew I was there."

"Get the fuck out of my quarters," Jane said flatly, her gun still leveled unwaveringly at the prothean. "Or I will shoot you in the head."

John glanced back at Jane for a fraction of a second. "Javik, go back to your quarters, I'll be there in a minute."

Javik turned and left without comment.

"You ok?

Jane lowered her gun, then tucked it back under her bed, and looked at her brother. "I don't want him in here again."

"I'll make sure he understands," John said quietly. "I'm sorry that happened."

"I'm sorry EDI had to wake you up," Jane apologized.

"It's my job," John shrugged. "And I brought him onto the ship. I'm responsible for him. I didn't think he'd be more difficult to manage than a krogan, but… well, there you go. I'm still sorry."

She shrugged, and slumped back onto the cot, pulling the blanket back over her body. "S'ok. Probably not entirely his fault. We  _are_  primitive creatures, after all."

John laughed. "I have to go deal with him. You going to be ok? Want me to come back?"

Jane shook her head. "No, thanks. Give him hell, Johnnie."

"EDI? Lock the door behind me," John waved, and walked out of the room.

Jane closed her eyes, and tried to fall back asleep. She shuddered.

"Gross."

" _That will not happen again, Lieutenant,"_  EDI announced, her voice grim.

Jane laughed. "Thanks, EDI." Sleep came quickly after that.

* * *

Five days later, Jane found herself in the cargo bay, exercising her leg. She and James, after the burly marine and Garrus had sparred, had set up a basic gym in the cargo bay. John had given the two a budget for equipment, and it had become one of the more popular spots on the ship.

Dr. Michel had taken Jane's cast off yesterday, and assigned her several exercises to strengthen the leg. The bone was healed, and now was aching, but the pain was nothing Jane couldn't handle. The gym was empty, something for which Jane was grateful. She didn't like people to see her in pain.

She grit her teeth as she stretched, flat on her back, red hair plastered to her forehead and the back of her neck. It hurt like a bitch.

"Singer."

Jane glanced up at the giant krogan standing over her. The few times she'd seen Wrex, he'd been relaxed and nearly motionless. Now, he was fidgeting and twitching. "Hey, Wrex. How goes intergalactic politicking?"

He grunted, and shifted from one foot to the other. "Turians are a pain in my quad. Why are you on the floor?"

"Broke my leg on a mission. Dr. Michel gave me exercises to do," Jane looked up at him. "You're looking terribly uncomfortable, Wrex, everything ok?"

"Turians aren't the only pain in my quad," he grunted, and rubbed his posterior. "That damned salarian."

"Mordin?" Jane grinned. "I've heard he's as unforgiving with a scalpel as he is with his SMG."

"Needed a 'sample,'" Wrex grunted and gave in, rubbing at his quad in discomfort. "He cut me deep."

Jane laughed. "Poor krogan," she teased. "Sample from the quad and you go running."

He growled at her quietly. "How is your… c _ommander?"_  He asked pointedly.

Jane shrugged. "He's not on the ship," she finally said. "So he's probably saving the galaxy, killing someone, getting the girl… You know, hero stuff and all that shit."

"Sounds likely," Wrex mused, finally sitting down on a crate in front of her, his motions gingerly. Jane sat up and scooted back until she was leaning against another crate. "I'm no fool, Singer. I know the turians need my people, and that your people need those scaly bastards. But… I have to put Tuchanka first," Wrex let out a heavy sigh, and fixed his blood red eyes on Jane. "The longer this cure takes, the more I wonder if my demands are dooming the galaxy."

She made a face, looking into the middle distance as she pondered his thought. She reached down with both hands to massage her aching calf. "Wrex, Tuchanka has been the galaxy's shitting bowl for a long time. The Genophage is bull. It is time for the Genophage to end, Wrex. Now is the time."

Pausing, Jane sent him and assessing look. She didn't know this krogan very well, but he'd just been brutally honest with her, and she felt she owed him the same courtesy. "Wrex – if it weren't for  _you,"_ she paused for a moment, thinking. "And Eve," she finally said, "I'd probably be fighting against curing the Genophage.  _You're_  what's different. You're the defining factor of the turn of the krogan people."

He was quiet, growling faintly. Jane gave a quiet prayer to whoever was listening that she hadn't pissed him off too badly.

"You might be right," Wrex mused. "But it was your  _commander_  who let me join the crew of the Normandy on the SR1. Who taught me more in those months than I'd learned in centuries. And it was your commander who made me realize that I could be a leader to my people. It was your commander who brokered this deal, who made this cure possible. He saved Maleon's data. He saved Eve."

"Hey, pretty sure  _I_  saved Eve, big guy," Jane joked, grinning.

"You know what I mean," Wrex grunted.

"Sound like you owe my…  _commander_  a great deal," Jane replied, quirking an eyebrow at the krogan comically.

Wrex laughed. "You pyjaks," he shook his head. "No one on Tuchanka has ever made me laugh like a pyjak human."

Jane grinned. "Never really thought of krogan as comedians," she joked, pushing herself to her feet and putting weight on her leg experimentally.

Wrex grunted, jerking his chin at her leg. "What happened?"

"I broke my leg on a mission," Jane repeated dryly.

"Is there a funny story that goes along with it?" Wrex pressed. "An injury like that usually comes with a funny story."

"I let the newest guest on Deck 4 get the better of me on Eden Prime," Jane sighed. "When he was waking up from fifty thousand years of cryogenic coma." She snorted. "He was hardly aware and  _still_ knocked me clear off the platform. Garrus actually had to climb down and rescue me, like some big blue knight in shining armor."

Wrex snorted out a short laugh. "The turian, eh? You and your  _commander_  have a thing for aliens, huh?"

Jane froze, glancing up at the krogan. "I don't know what you mean…"

He let out a laugh. "Humans let off a  _scent_  when they want to bed someone," he explained. "Krogan can smell it, clear as day." He grinned.

Jane's face flushed red in sudden embarrassment.

Wrex stood up, rubbing at his quad again. "He's a turian, so he isn't worth much, but he's the best turian I know. For what it's worth."

Jane sent him a strangled grin, and nodded as Wrex ambled away.

"Fuck me, EDI, tell me no one else was around to hear that?" Jane whispered once Wrex disappeared through the elevator doors.

" _No one else is currently in the shuttle bay, as Shepard took James with him on the extraction,"_  EDI replied quietly. " _And Cortez is flying the shuttle."_

"How's it going down there, anyways?" Jane asked, suddenly, inexplicably nervous.

" _One moment please, Lieutenant,"_  EDI went momentarily silent.  _"Shepard has given the order to Cortez to extract the ground squad. The shuttle will return momentarily. All appears normal."_

"Thanks," Jane replied, pulling on her sweater.

She was walking to the elevator, limping slightly, when the cargo bay doors opened behind her. Jane turned to watch the shuttle land, leaning against the requisitions consol and zipped her hoodie closed. As always, the shields keeping the Normandy's atmosphere in and the great vacuum of space from sucking it out smelled faintly of ozone and caused the hairs on her arms to stand up.

The shuttle landed, shuttle bay doors closing behind the Kodiak.

The doors hissed open, and James barreled out of the shuttle, a furious look on his face. "Fuckin' asshole. Lucky I don't shoot him in the fuckin' head," James muttered as he stormed past her and into the elevator. "Pendejo."

Jane turned to the shuttle, her head cocked to the side in curiosity. James  _had_  to have meant Javik. He wasn't exactly… settling in on the Normandy. Instead, he was seemingly attempting to make everyone around him adjust to his way of life.

Complaints about the prothean had become commonplace about the ship. He'd seemingly driven a wedge between himself and every single other member of the crew. Thankfully, he'd all but been a ghost when it came to her, so she wondered what John said to him to keep him away.

"Javik, you can't treat people like that," John said as he exited the shuttle, his tone exasperated and annoyed. Javik was close behind him exiting the shuttle. John turned to confront Javik, hands on his hips.

Jane narrowed her eyes. The prothean looked  _pissed._  She quickly fired up the requisitions terminal so she could eavesdrop on the conversation.

Garrus backed out of the shuttle moments later, holding a large crate that Cortez was hefting on the other side. Jane's eyes flitted to the turian, unable to see his face, but she could read the tension in his body. Cortez, normally the most unrufflable guy on the ship, looked annoyed.

"I do not understand," Javik snapped. "That human was – "

"He has a name," Garrus muttered dryly as he and Cortez carried the large crate past the pair.

Javik snarled quietly, eyes dangerous as they flitted to Garrus before returning to John's face. "Fine. I will simply keep all my thoughts to myself."

"Javik," John sighed. "Look, you have to learn how to work with the crew. Because if you can't, you're off at the Citadel, and you can do whatever the fuck you want with your time. You're a valuable addition to this crew, but not at the expense of the happiness of my crew, and sure as  _fuck_  not at the expense of the success of our missions."

"We were simply recovering a  _religious icon,"_  Javik's voice increased slightly in volume. "We were not at risk – "

"We  _could_  have been at risk," John cut him off, the lines of his back rigid in his anger. " _You_  don't know what could have been down there. I need my crew to be focused on the mission, not on… Fuck, Javik, why the hell would you start bringing up that mission? How the hell do you even know about it?"

"I read many things," Javik said flatly. "You know this."

"And did you completely miss how James blames himself for what happened on Fehl Prime?" John replied, voice now resigned.

"He  _should_  blame himself," Javik replied. "Human," he gestured at John imperiously. "You should blame yourself for the deaths of those hundreds of thousands of batarians." He pointed at Jane. "That  _woman_  should blame herself for almost killing her closest friend." His hand moved, pointing unerringly at Garrus, without moving his eyes from John's. "The turian should blame himself for the death of his squad." The hand moved fractionally, now pointing at Cortez on the other end of the crate. "And that human should blame himself for the death of his husband. But you should  _not_  let it cripple you in battle."

Javik puffed himself up, looking down on John. "You should be lecturing  _him_ for letting my words distract him from the mission, not I for pointing out a truth."

The silence that descended upon the shuttle bay was heavy, until Garrus, growling, dropped his end of the crate and started stalking towards the prothean, his fists balled. Cortez intercepted the turian, speaking to him in low tones, pushing him back, away from Javik.

Jane felt a chill pass over her, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest, long having given up pretending she wasn't listening. Javik glanced back at her, and grinned viciously. "Should I tell the turian what you were thinking about in the night?"

Heat flushed Jane's face, her eyes widened then narrowed. "If you want me to remove your head from your body."

"You do not have your sword," Javik said smugly.

"I don't  _need_  a sword," she snarled back, her tone deadly, and started thinking about a vicious technique Thane had taught her. "Read my thoughts now, you smug bastard."

"Jane, stop it," John snapped. "And Javik…" John took a deep breath. "You're benched. No missions until you can learn to work with a team. And I'm not the one who will decide when that is. These guys will be the ones to decide," he gestured at Jane, Garrus and Cortez. "And James, too. And just in case you don't know who that is, considering the fact that I used his name, I'm talking about the human you purposely  _baited_  in the middle of a  _mission._  Now get the hell out of my sight before I shoot you myself."

Javik stared at John for a long moment, before stepping around Jane's brother. Slowly, the prothean walked from the shuttle bay, his head held high, into the elevator.

Jane watched as the tension bled out of John's body. She wasn't planning on letting him off the hook as easily as he seemed to be letting himself off it.

"Remind me why we have him aboard again?" Jane snapped, one hand on her hip, glaring at her brother.

John frowned at her. "Cut the guy a bit of slack," John replied. "He's undergoing a huge amount of change. His society was run  _completely_  differently from the way we run ours. And he used to be the commanding officer, remember?"

"Don't make excuses for him," Jane protested, enraged. "He's being an asshole on purpose. To everyone on this fucking ship. And being a creep."

"He didn't  _know_ it was wrong, Jane _,"_  John snapped. "But trust me, he does now."

"How couldn't he have  _known?"_  Jane replied, her voice. "He can read every memory  _ever_ , but he doesn't pick up that  _watching_  someone while they're  _sleeping_  is inappropriate?"

"Excuse me?" Garrus interjected, stepping forward. "He was watching someone  _sleep?_  When? Who? _"_

"Stay out of this," John snapped, eyebrows furrowed. "Jane, he's invaluable. He's not going anywhere, not if I can help it. He wants to kill Reapers, you have the power to decide if he can. He's not going to be an asshole to you anymore."

"So you think you've handled it?" Jane laughed. "He can read just about everything about us, John. Think of what he knows about this crew? How dangerous that is? You can't keep anything from him."

"Thank you for pointing that out, Jane," John replied sarcastically. "I never would have thought about that. Why do you think I want him to stay aboard the Normandy so badly? He's just being an asshole, he isn't going to go blabbing sensitive secrets to Allers."

"He just  _purposely_  revealed things that no one wanted revealed," Jane managed.

"Aratoht is a matter of public record," John replied, his eyes narrowed.

" _That woman should blame herself for almost killing her closest friend_ ," Jane mimicked Javik's strange accent and speech pattern. "Don't you think that maybe I'd like to keep some things to myself? Don't you think there are things about me that I don't want to come out,  _Commander?_  Think Garrus wanted people to know about Omega? Or Cortez was interested in having his husband brought up that way? _"_

John blinked, and was silent for a moment. "Jane," he sighed. "Come on, it isn't that big of a deal. He didn't share anything that casts anyone but  _himself_  into a bad light -"

"That's not the  _point,"_  Jane interrupted, now furious with John. "You're the commander. You brought him on the ship. You're responsible for his actions. And he… he… he violated…" She pressed her lips together, horrified to realize that she was on the brink of tears.  _Don't cry. Not now. Pull it together, Singer._

"You know what? Never mind. Your ship, your rules," she said, her voice hard. "Permission to be excused, sir? My leg is killing me, and I'd like to go back to my quarters."

"Come on, Jane," John sighed, sounding exasperated. "Don't be difficult."

"I'm sorry I've disappointed you, Commander," Jane replied, shifting her weight to her left leg. As much as she was pissed at her brother and Javik, she wasn't completely bullshitting him. Her leg was throbbing, she wanted to get off it. "But Dr. Michel ordered me that at the first sign of pain I should get off my feet, so…" her voice wobbled slightly on the last word, and she pressed her lips together again.

John's gaze gentled somewhat. "Dismissed."

Jane turned and walked to the elevator, not trying to hide her limp. The elevator was waiting for her, and she stepped inside, letting out a long breath of relief when the doors hissed shut behind her without anyone following.

She made it back to her quarters quickly, locking the door behind her. Sprawling on her cot, Jane buried her head under the pillow. A chime came at the door moments later.

"Who is it, EDI?" Jane asked, her voice muffled.

" _XO Vakarian to see you,"_  EDI replied.

Jane was quiet for a moment. "Not right now," she finally replied.

" _Very well, Lieutenant,"_  EDI replied.  _"I will inform him."_

Jane moved until she was under her blankets, ignoring the fact that she was still sweaty from her workout and exercises for her leg.

" _Lieutenant, XO Vakarian is somewhat insistent that he be allowed to speak with you,"_  EDI announced.

Jane felt suddenly irritated, and pushed herself up, walking over to the door. "Unlock the door, EDI," she instructed, arms crossed over her chest.

The holopad flashed green in front of her. The door opened a moment later, revealing Garrus, who strode in purposefully, colliding with Jane. He automatically reached down to steady her when she staggered back.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly.

Jane blinked at him. "It was an accident," she frowned slightly.

"No, well, I'm sorry I bumped into you, but mostly I'm just…" he paused, looking down. "Your brother told me that Javik was watching you sleep and… I'm sorry I didn't think to lock the door when I left the other night. He wouldn't have gotten in if it weren't for me. So… I'm sorry."

"Ok," Jane shrugged off his hands and stepped back. "Fine."

Garrus blinked at her slowly. "Fine?"

"Yep. Fine," she raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

"Uh," he pulled his brow plates together. "Not anymore."

Jane lifted a hand to her head and closed her eyes. "Can this wait? Please?" Jane pleaded, feeling suddenly vulnerable. "I'm angry and irritable and in pain, and I just need some distance. Please?"

The door was already closing before she finished her last plea.

* * *

The Normandy docked at the Citadel two days later. Swiftly packing her kit, Jane wasted no time leaving the ship. She'd managed to successfully avoid her brother, even though he'd actively sought her out a once each day.

Garrus, on the other hand, was avoiding her successfully, although she hadn't gone looking for him. When she'd finally gathered up the courage to go and see him the night before, she'd found the battery empty. EDI informing her that John, Garrus and Liara had gone on another extraction mission along their route back to the Citadel.

They'd arrived late into the night cycle, when Jane was sleeping, and both were still asleep by the time the Normandy docked at the Citadel. Something bothered her about leaving things unresolved with John, but she was still irritated with him, and left moments after the Normandy docked.

She activated her omnitool, keying in an omnitool id code from memory.

" _Hey, Singer, good to see you,"_  Quinn greeted once the small screen of her omnitool finished its connection.  _"I note that you aren't in front of me, reporting for duty, as ordered."_

"Hey, cut me some slack," Jane said with a disarming smile. "I  _just_  got off the Normandy. I have to swing by the hospital, and then I'll be right there."

" _I suppose that's acceptable,"_  Quinn replied flippantly.  _"Hospital? Everything ok?"_

"Broke my leg last mission," she answered.

" _How'd you break your leg, Singer?"_

"You wouldn't believe me even if I  _could_  tell you, Quinnie," Jane smirked at him.

" _See you soon, Singer,"_  Quinn replied.  _"And no calling me Quinnie on missions, it's way too gay. Way gayer than I want to be at least."_

"Quinnie, you're the gayest man I know. Oh my gosh, you'd die if you were aboard the Normandy," Jane grinned, winking at him. "Couple of prospects for you. All hunks, let me tell you."

" _Shit, don't tell me the Normandy is a beefcake factory?"_  Quinn complained.  _"How the hell'd you get stationed there, anyways?"_

"It's all about who you know, Quinnie," Jane replied.

" _Who the hell do_ you _know?"_  Quinn asked.

"Commander Shepard and I go  _way_  back," Jane answered flippantly.

" _Fuck you, you're so full of shit,"_  Quinn replied good-naturedly.  _"See you when you get here."_

Jane killed the call and strode into the elevator. She hadn't lied to Quinn, not exactly. She was going to Huerta to see Thane. Her heart suddenly thundered in her chest.

_Thane._

He worked her harder than any instructor at the ICT ever had. He'd never pulled a single punch. God, she was scared to see him sick and frail.

The elevator arrived at Huerta, and Jane stepped into the lobby, her eyes scanning the crowd. A lone drell was sitting by the window, a small smile on his face.

Jane paused, waited for him to notice her, knowing that his finely tuned senses would detect her before long. She stood still in the lobby, watching him. It took him a few moments before his head snapped to the side, eyes landing on her face. He stood, and crossed to her side.

"Siha," he greeted in a soft voice. "It has been too long since I last saw you."

"Thane," she replied, then grabbed him in a hug, holding him tightly around his waist. He hugged her back gently, rubbing one hand tentatively along her back.

"Do not be sad for me, Siha," Thane said softly when he noted her shaking shoulders. "This is my time. I greet it with open arms."

"Had to go and kill the mood, didn't you? Inject your damned zen-like attitude into everything, just like always," Jane pushed away from him, wiping impatiently at her eyes. "I've missed you."

"And I you," Thane replied, gesturing for her to follow him to the elevator. "Come, I've arranged a surprise for you."

Jane grinned at the drell, amused. "A surprise?"

Thane only smiled at her, his black eyes unfathomable. "You'll like it."

* * *

" _Again_ , Siha!" Thane snapped.

Jane dropped into a crouch, holding her sword at the ready, waiting for the combat simulator to send another drone at her.

"How much time do we have?" Thane asked suddenly.

The drone flickered to life in front of her, and Jane grinned. "Enough for one more," she replied, and launched the offensive, bringing her sword down viciously on the decoy in front of her.

"Faster, move  _faster,"_  Thane snapped. "Remember, speed, agility – that's what will keep you alive.  _Move!_  Yes, Siha! Like that! _"_

Jane dropped low, spinning as quickly as she could, bringing the sword up and through the bottom of the drone's brightly lit shell. The projection flickered and disappeared.

"Well done," Thane said quietly. "You've improved."

Jane grinned. "Well, it has nothing on the real thing, but goddamn does it feel good to stick my sword through something."

"Go," Thane gestured. "Go report to your squad leader for duty. I'll be here when you return to the Citadel."

Jane grabbed the drell, her arms locking around the back of his neck. "You'd better be," she whispered. "I'm not ready for you to go, yet."

"I will strive to survive, Siha," Thane replied dryly.

Jane waved, sheathing her sword, and grabbing her kit. She found an elevator quickly heading to Alliance Docking Bay D30 to report to Quinn and rejoin her old N7 squad.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took me so long to get up. I'll blame work. The good news is, Chapters 13 and 14 are being betaed right now, so they'll be up relatively quickly, and 15 and 16 are in their draft stages. This chapter is a bit light on the action side of things, but the next four chapters are going to be action heavy (Jane's N7 mission, the krogan scouts mission, turian bomb mission, Tuchanka, the Citadel ... then our intrepid adventurers will be off to the Far Rim).
> 
> Anyways, sorry again for the wait, thanks for sticking around! I appreciate every follow and all pieces of feedback. You guys are awesome! - JSS

**2169**

" _Captain Hackett says I'm one of the best shots he's seen," John enthused. "And he says I'm almost as good as you, but my problem is with strength and conditioning, not talent."_

"That's fantastic, son," _Frank replied on the view screen, grinning widely._  "I knew you were talented."

" _Thanks, Dad," John grinned back. "Anyways, Mom said I could get into Annapolis if I wanted, but I'm not sure… I… I've always wanted to follow in your footsteps."_

 _The look on Frank's face was enough to convince John that he wanted to follow Frank's path. He'd never seen such a look of_ pride _on his father's face before._

"That's one heck of a whallop you've just delivered, John," _Frank finally replied._ "Not only do you want to follow in my footsteps but you can get into Annapolis? I'm honored you want to enlist right away, John, but Annapolis… Think of the opportunities."

" _You're my dad," John replied. "I want you to be proud of me."_

 _Frank was quiet, the look now on his face indecipherable._ "I  _am_  proud of you, John. And I'll be proud of you no matter what you decide."

" _Thanks," John managed, his voice suddenly thick with emotion, unable to meet his dad's eyes._

 _A quiet voice murmured over Frank's shoulder, and John's dad turned his head to look over his shoulder. "_ Yeah, I'll be right there,Tim." _Frank turned back around._ "Sorry, son. I've got to go. Duty calls."

" _Bye, Dad," John replied seriously. "Give 'em hell."_

_His dad disconnected his view screen, laughing in response to his son's sendoff._

_He sat, staring at the screen for a few minutes, calming himself down. Hannah was waiting for him outside the comm room, giving him some rare privacy to be able to have a conversation with his dad._

_Thing had been stressed between John and Hannah since Frank had left the Einstein for the Terminus Systems. John's refusal to commit to Annapolis remained a point of contention between the two of them, and without her husband as an outlet, Hannah often snapped at John for no reason._

_Well. For no reason_ he _could understand, anyways._

_His mom always seemed to have a perfectly valid reason for why she was angry, but John could never wrap his head around it. She seemed to find fault with almost everything he did, and yet never left him alone. John felt smothered by her constant attention._

_Finally, John stood up and stepped away from the video terminal, and stepped outside the room._

" _Good chat with your dad?" Hannah asked, smiling at him in greeting._

" _Yeah," John replied, giving her a half-hearted smile in return._

" _What did you talk about?" Hannah pressed, reaching her hand up to squeeze his shoulder. In the eight months since Frank had left, John had grown quickly, now towering over his mother at over six feet._

" _Stuff," John answered._

" _What kind of stuff?"_

" _I'd tell you if I wanted you to know, Mom," he mutter petulantly._

_Hannah was shocked into silence. "You have no cause to be rude," she finally said._

_John pulled in a slow breath. "I'm not trying to be rude. I'm… I just want my conversations with Dad to be_ private."

" _Fine," Hannah said quietly. "I won't pry into your business any more, John. I'm sorry I'm such a nosey, pushy mother."_

" _Mom," John felt instantly guilty. "It's not like that…"_

" _I don't want to hear it," Hannah snapped, cutting him off._

_In silence, the pair walked back to their quarters._

* * *

"Hey, Lieutenant?"

_Hannah looked up as the speaker in hers and John's quarters sparked to life. "Yes, Jeffries?" Hannah replied to the comm specialist._

"Your husband is available," _Jeffries answered._

" _John and I will be right there," Hannah answered, standing swiftly. "Come along, John."_

_John pushed the chair back from his desk, leaving his homework behind to join his mother by the door. "It's only been a week this time," he observed neutrally, following behind Hannah._

" _Hmm," Hannah stared straight ahead, walking stiffly._

_She'd been… removed the last week. Hurt, John surmised. Or something._

_The usually quick walk to the comm room felt like it took forever it was so awkward and uncomfortable. As they neared the door, Hannah glanced back at him. "I'll let you know when it's your turn," she said flatly, and stepped inside._

_Crossing his arms over his chest, John let out a long sigh. Hannah's silence over the last week had been trying. Her explosive and erratic behavior over the last eight months had been exhausting. He'd witnessed her moodiness with his dad, but he'd never been on the receiving end before. And never before to the extreme of the last week, either._

_It didn't feel good._

_Suddenly anxious about what his parents were talking about, he crept forward to eavesdrop._

"… owe it to him to finally tell him the truth, Hannah," _Frank was yelling, his timbre muted through the speaker._

" _Quiet, Frank, he might hear you," Hannah hissed. "How will telling him benefit him? What good can come of it?"_

"What  _good_  will come of it? He'll know the truth," _Frank snapped back._ "It's  _important_  to be truthful with your children."

" _She's probably dead, Frank," Hannah's tone was exasperated, but still pitched low. John had to strain to hear her. "She was four fucking years old, alone, and in Manhattan, for pete's sake. She had a snowball's chance in hell of surviving that, so why give him false hope?"_

 _At her words, John broke out into a cold sweat, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. They were talking about Jane. He was sure of it. They_ had _to be talking about Jane… John felt a moment of confusion. So did that mean that Jane might not be dead?_

"Because it's the  _truth,_  Hannah," _Frank sounded equally exasperated._ "Fuck, Han, I want a good relationship with the boy. I… I don't want it to be based upon a lie."

 _Hannah laughed, but there was no mirth to it. "_ Now? _Now you care? After how many years? I told you in the beginning, I told you the truth, I asked you how you wanted to handle it and you didn't say_ anything! _You made_ me _deal with it, and now you want me to…_ " _Hannah dropped her head into her hands. "Frank, I can't tell him the truth. I can't look our son in the eye and tell him that no one even_ looked _for that little girl. How do you expect me to tell him that they didn't look for his sister because I convinced Tiff not to file a missing persons report on her? How can I break his heart like that?"_

_John backed away from the comm room, feeling sick with betrayal. Blindly, he stumbled back to their shared quarters, and into his bedroom. Fists flexing in anger, in devastation, John stalked from one end of his room to the other._

_His sister could be alive. She could be out there, somewhere, thinking he was… dead? That he'd abandoned her? He scrubbed his hands over his face._

Take care of your sister, Johnnie.

 _John's legs gave out under him, and he dropped to his knees, his mother's – his_ real _mother's – voice in his ear. If Janey was out there, she was alone. He had to find her, had to_ save _her… but he had no idea where to look. He didn't even know where to start._

_New York. Their mom died in New York. He remembered that._

_John rushed to his desk, and hunched over his terminal. He connected to the extranet, and pulled up his favorite search net._

_[new york; earth; hospitals]_

_The list of hospitals was lengthy. The cold sweat break out again, and John felt a sense of dread. How was he_ ever _going to find her? He hardly remembered anything about that night. He didn't remember anything about New York._

" _Hospitals in Brooklyn," an extranet site caught his eye, and he suddenly realized just how_ big _New York actually was._

" _John?"_

_His mother's voice – worried, John noted – flooded his room._

_Panicked, John turned off the screen of his terminal, and rushed to the other side of his room. Quickly, he climbed onto his bed, grabbing a datapad from off his bedside table and slumped back against his pillows._

" _In here," John called out._

_Hannah entered his room slowly, cautiously. "Your dad was disappointed you weren't there to talk to him. Everything ok?"_

" _I heard you two fighting, so I thought I'd leave," John lied, giving her a smile that he knew had to look fake, and not caring. "And I have tons of homework to get to, so…" He shrugged. "I thought you two could talk and I'd just get to work. Dad and I can talk the next time he calls."_

" _Oh," she hesitated just inside the door. "Well, I'll just leave you to it then."_

" _Thanks," John said evenly. Hannah backed out of the room slowly. John watched her go, even sending her a small wave as she disappeared through the door._

_Once he was sure she was gone, he looked at his terminal, then walked to the speaker on his bedroom wall, pressing the button for the comm room._

" _Hey, Jeffries, you there?" John called quietly. "It's John Shepard."_

"Hey, John, what can I do for you?"

_John forced the blush on his face down, and remembered what his friend Mike told him. "My friend told me that you would sell me a program to wipe my extranet history clean so my mom wouldn't see what I'm searching for?"_

_The laugh on the other end of the speaker put John oddly at ease. He knew the comm specialist thought he was searching for porn. He_ wanted _the comm specialist to think he was searching for porn._

"Wow, John, I wondered if you'd ever come knocking for this program," _Jeffries joked._ "It's fifty credits, and I'll transfer it to your omnitool at mess tomorrow. Cool?"

" _Thanks, Jeffries," John replied, cutting the comm._

_He'd wait to search for his sister's whereabouts until after he knew how to scrub the history. Hannah could never know he was looking for her. He narrowed his eyes, and glared at the door._

_And as soon as he was old enough, he was gone from this place. Screw her. And Frank Shepard._

_Screw them all._

**2186**

John squinted at Kar'shan through the viewing screen in the back of the Kodiak. The batarian homeworld wasn't on the top of his list of places to visit. Even though he didn't expect to cross paths with anyone on this mission, most batarians would give their third and fourth eyes to see him dead. Killing Commander Shepard would probably be a moral booster for any surviving resistance.

"Just keep your helmet on, and any remaining batarians won't know who you are," Garrus suggested, guessing instantly what John was obsessing over.

"We won't see anyone, not where we're going," John replied sourly. "The Pillars of Strength scrolls are in an abandoned monastic library in the middle of a fucking desert."

"The Gar'pak Desert, specifically," EDI piped up helpfully. "It is twice the size of Earth's Sahara Desert. The Pillars of Strength scrolls were transcribed from etchings in a lost cave in the Pillars of Strength mountains to the south of the desert. Or so the story claims."

"I don't really need the history lesson, EDI. Is it hot?" Garrus asked.

"Brutally hot," John replied. "You'll love it, lizard boy."

"I hate the heat," Garrus shook his head. "Why do you think I  _left_  Palaven, Shepard?"

"I thought it had something to do with your endless daddy issues," John replied absently.

"Filial piety was a secondary benefit to leaving the never-ending  _heat_  of Cipritine, Shepard," Garrus replied in a long-suffering tone. "Really. Get your story straight – how am I supposed to trust the accuracy of my portrayal in your future memoires if you can't even get the simple fact straight?"

John snorted with laughter, falling silent when his eyes landed on the viewscreen. "Fuck. The Reapers just devastated this planet, didn't they?"

"The damage found here does not appear to be any worse than any other planet we have visited," EDI cocked her head to the side.

"Those scars are fresh," John said darkly. "These ones… Khar'shan looks like a ghost planet now."

John felt a certain uneasiness grow as their mission progressed.

It was routine. No one fired a single shot. The scrolls were exactly where the intelligence said they would be.

The itch in his spine that something was off wasn't going away.

John sighed as he and Garrus carried the scrolls, safely encased in a temperature-controlled crate, back to the Kodiak. He was sweating heavily under the hot sun.

"How do turians cool off?" John grunted as they struggled with the case.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sweating buckets, EDI's coolant system is working overtime… So, how do turians cool down?"

"Sweating buckets?" Garrus asked, gritting his teeth.

"Yep," John replied. "Like a stuck pig."

"You  _humans_  and your damned expressions _,"_  Garrus snarled, exasperated. "What does it  _mean_ , John?" Garrus asked, as John actually spluttered with laughter.

"Means I'm sweating enough that the volume I sweat could fill up buckets. Buckets full of my sweat. Because sweat is a liquid," John finally managed to explain. "Which humans use to cool themselves down. And if you look at my face, you will see that it is soaked. With sweat."

"Turians produce a protein that helps our systems deal with the increased stress of being really hot," Garrus explained, looking faintly repulsed at the conversation. "And the idea that humans can produce sufficient liquid to fill a bucket, let alone  _buckets_ , is horrifying."

Groaning, the two slung the crate into the shuttle. EDI swept in to check the environmental levels of the crate.

"Wanna tell me why we were the ones lugging batarian religious relics into the shuttle?" Garrus asked with a pointed look at EDI.

"Commander Shepard complained about the glare coming off of my chassis," EDI replied sweetly. "I was simply following orders."

"Cortez, let's head back," John ordered, dropping down onto a bench and wiping his hand through the sweat beading his forehead. "The galaxy's going to hell and we have a long list of shit to get done before we get there."

"Not that I don't appreciate a good one-liner, Shepard, but are you going to make those kinds of dramatic statements at the end of every mission? They're starting to lose their weight."

Garrus easily ducked the pistol John threw at his head, laughing the whole time.

* * *

After the Pillars of Strength scrolls, the Normandy flew to the Vular system to recover a cache of black market artifacts they found using Liara's intelligence. In an attempt to save General Septimus Oraka's life, and to garner support from the Blue Suns, John was bartering black market artifacts with a salarian on the Citadel for black market weapons.

As much as John hated dallying in illegal artifact trading, John couldn't let Aria take out Oraka to secure Darner Vosque's alliance, no matter how much eezo the asari matriarch was promising. At least the artifacts on Vana were a violence-free solution to a sticky problem, John was grateful he had an out to killing Oraka.

Exploring the main colony on Vana with James and Liara flanking him turned out to be even more depressing than exploring the ruins on Khar'shan. They'd been removed from the devastation on Khar'shan, as the Pillars of Strength library were found in one of the least populated areas of the planet, but they were up close and personal with the destruction of Vana.

The batarian colonies were built under protective domes to keep out Vana's thin atmosphere. The Reapers hadn't even bothered to invade, they'd just shot the protective domes to shit, and left the batarians living inside the city to die, gasping for breath.

It left behind a depressing, morbid tableau.

John supposed he should be grateful that at least for these batarians, it had ended quickly.

Once the ground crew secured the black market artifacts, it was off to the Shrike Abyssal to pick up a Prothean Obelisk for a volus diplomat on the Citadel. Like the mission to Vana, and to Khar'shan before it, they encountered no resistance during the extraction, despite the high-risk location.

The Reapers hadn't even shown up until Joker was activating the FTL drive to leave the system.

"Set a course for Irune," John said to Joker absently, watching the Reapers with something akin to longing on Joker's monitor.

"Irune? Like the  _volus_  homeworld?" Joker snorted. "The little dudes have you doing their grunt work, too? Are you the entire  _galaxy's_ errand boy now?"

"Can it, Joker. They need…" John fired up his omnitool, and pulled up the file. "Ah, here it is. The Book of Plenix."

"What the hell is that?"

John looked at Joker blankly. "I have no idea. And I don't want to know. Ask EDI. Some other time. When I'm not around."

"Alrighty, then," Joker raised his eyebrows. "Everything ok there, Shepard?"

John let out a long sigh. "I feel like we're wasting time. Mordin needs more time to create the cure and until that happens we can't really do anything to change the tide of this war."

"I get it, you're feeling antsy," Joker nodded his head to some unheard beat as he plotted the best course to the Aru System.

John grunted. "Understatement."

"Then get all this crap done – the grunt work, the stuff you don't  _really_  want to waste your time on, and get it all done in one push. Then, to celebrate, have a poker night," Joker suggested. "You deserve a break just as much as everyone else on this ship, and you keep making the rest of us leave the ship and enjoy ourselves, but you never bother yourself… As your pilot, and the person who has been with you the longest out of everyone on this ship, I order you to have a night of drinking and gambling after the Book of Plenix."

"And after we swing back to the Apien Crest and go to Digeris to grab the Banner of the First Regimen for a turian Colonel," John added, scrolling through his list of low-priority, high-risk missions.

"After that," Joker agreed.

"And we have to swing by Sanctum, again," John continued scrolling. "They've developed a new medi-gel formulation that they need on Huerta."

Joker looked up at John, an amused expression on his face. "Has Harbinger asked you to wipe his ass for him yet? Because it isn't like we don't have anything better to do than pick up medi-gel."

John grinned at the pilot. "Set a course for Irune, Joker."

"Aye aye, Commander Errand Boy," Joker snarked.

* * *

"Everything ok, Shepard?"

John glanced over at Garrus and shrugged, looking down at the alien medi-gel formula in his hands. The turian was sitting across from him in the shuttle, watching him with a concerned expression.

"No," John answered shortly. "I want to shoot something," he complained. "A cannibal. Hell, a trooper. I'd even go back to Pinnacle Station and take out some holographic projections… Five missions, not a single shot fired. And sure, this medi-gel is going to save lives in the long run, but…"

"It still feels kind of futile?" The turian surmised.

"It's hard to feel like I'm contributing when I'm  _not_  killing Reapers," John shrugged. "I kind of feel like we're coasting."

Garrus snorted. "Yeah, you're not contributing anything right now. Laziest galactic hero I've ever seen," he said dryly. "Shepard, you should take advantage of the downtime. Everyone needs time off."

"We're heading back to the Citadel to pick up Jane now," John explained. "I'm thinking Skyllian Five and beer en route."

"I'll let James know," Garrus agreed.

"Hey, Cortez! You in?" John called up to the cockpit. "Alcohol and gambling?"

"You couldn't keep me away," Cortez called back. "Who else?"

"Joker, Wrex and James," John replied.

"Well, thank you very much for inviting me," Liara complained, looking up from the datapad that had held her attention since leaving Sanctum.

"Do you  _want_  to gamble and drink with us?" John asked, surprised.

"No, but it is nice to be invited nevertheless," Liara pointed out archly, crossing her arms.

"It's a boys night," Cortez called back, his tone mild. "Don't be insulted."

"I come from a mono-gender race," Liara shot back. "The concept of a boys night is foreign to me and seems juvenile."

"It is. And trust me, you probably don't want to be there," Cortez replied. "Half the time  _I_  don't even want to be there."

"You don't have to come, Steve," John laughed.

"Still," Liara pointed out. "Shepard, you  _do_  need a break."

"So do you, T'soni. When was the last time  _you_  took one?" John snorted. "Tell you what – next time we're at the Citadel, we'll grab lunch. Take a breather."

Liara sent John a serene smile. "I would like that, Shepard."

"It's settled, then," John nodded at Liara, then looked back at Garrus. "I'll get Joker and Wrex. You get James. We'll meet in the lounge."

* * *

John exited the shuttle, striding towards the elevator quickly. As much as he was looking forward to his shipboard shore leave, he still felt at odds.

Sighing, John finally allowed himself to address the topic that was really bothering him.

Jane.

Now that they were on their way to the Citadel, and Jane would be back aboard the ship, John finally allowed himself think of his little sister.

Five days had passed since Jane snuck off the Normandy for her N7 mission. John missed having her on the ship. Even when she'd been actively avoiding him after their stupid fight in the shuttle bay, John preferred a pissed off sister to an absolutely absent one. At least when she was just pissed off, he knew she was on the Normandy.

Safe.

Of course he was worried for her. Jane was his sister. It was his duty to be worried about her.

He almost wanted to send Jane's CO, Major Hepner, a request for a mission status update. Or demand to Hackett that next time an N7 squad needed Jane's help that the Normandy just be sent in.

John strode across the CIC and into the cockpit. "Joker, hobble on over to the lounge. Cards and beer in five. And that's an order."

Joker grinned up at the commander. "Aye aye, sir, be there in a jiffy," he glanced over at EDI's mobile platform, sitting next to him. "Do you mind taking the ship, EDI?"

"I do not, Jeff. Enjoy your night," EDI smiled at the pilot, and John grinned at them both.

Shaking his head, John made his way to the war room, wondering about a potential romance between EDI and Joker. He'd have to drop a hint to Joker. Or maybe to EDI.

Commander John Shepard, Galactic hero and matchmaker. As he waited for decon to finish its cycle outside the war room, John had to laugh at himself. If John survived this crap, at least he knew there was a career waiting for him in matchmaking.

He could hear the tag-lines now: "I'm Commander Shepard, and you are my favorite couple in the galaxy."

Wrex and Eve were next. Definitely.

The decon ended its cycle, and John strode into the war room, leaning up against the side of Wrex's terminal.

"Booze and gambling, lounge, five minutes," John said to Wrex.

The krogan chuckled, and sent John a grin. "I'm going to take you for everything you've got," Wrex challenged. "Will Vakarian be there? I'm going to take him for everything he's got, too."

"Garrus is rounding up James," John nodded, and glanced across the war room at Primarch Victus. The turian Primarch was watching them with thinly veiled longing.

Wrex glanced at the Primarch and back to John. "Eh, invite 'im," Wrex said with dark amusement and a threatening chuckle. "I'll take him for everything he's got, too. And then some."

"Want in, Adrien?" John called across the circular space. "Some drinking? A little gambling?"

The Primarch straightened and grinned. "In the lounge?"

"C'mon," Wrex gestured impatiently at the turian. "We're wasting time. I could be taking your credits right now."

Victus laughed. "I'd like to see you try," he shot back.

John grinned at the banter between the two aliens. This was exactly what he needed.

* * *

As the odd assortment of men settled in around the poker table, Joker shook his head.

"Would anyone object if we warmed up with a round of Bullshit?"

John grinned. "I haven't played that game since basic," he enthused. "There're enough of us, double or triple deck?"

"Double," Cortez interjected.

"Never heard of it," Wrex grunted. "What's the point?"

"To call people on their bullshit," James explained, and looked around the table. "Gentlemen, I propose we make this a drinking game."

"I'm in, someone help me get more alcohol," John replied, jumping up and heading to the bar.

"Rules?" Victus asked, sliding back from the table to help John.

"Well, the rules of Bullshit are simple. You lay down your cards in order," Cortez took a second deck from Joker and started shuffling. "I'll take one Ace of Spades out of one deck. The person with the Ace of Spades starts and plays all their Aces – face down. Then the person next to them plays their twos. You have to announce how many you're putting down as you play your cards."

"What if I have no twos?" Wrex grunted.

"You lie?" Garrus guessed. James nodded in confirmation.

"And if I know you're lying?" Wrex grinned.

"You call bullshit," John said as he and Victus returned to the table with more bottles.

"Drinking rules?" Joker asked, taking a sip of beer.

"If you call bullshit and they weren't bullshitting, you take a shot," Cortez proposed. "But if they  _were_  bullshitting, they have to take a shot."

"If you have to pick up a huge mitful, everyone should take a shot," Joker suggested.

"Deal," John agreed, picking up his cards.

"I'll start," James grinned, and played down his cards. "Three aces."

"Bullshit," Joker called.

James raised an eyebrow and flipped over his cards – three aces. Joker shrugged and poured himself a shot.

"Didn't want to wait," he grinned, downing the alcohol. "Carry on, gentlemen."

* * *

Hours later, Wrex, Garrus, John and Victus were the only ones still standing. James was snoring on the couch, a bottle of water and bucket next to his head.

The foursome was finally playing a game of Skyllian Five, sipping at their drinks and talking quietly.

"And that was when I knew he was going to kill me. My CO's daughter," Garrus laughed, ducking his head. "He knew my father, so the first time I screwed up after that, instead of disciplining me, he stood me in front of my unit, and announced: 'As you do not have the decorum of an adult turian soldier, I will not discipline you like one.' Then he fired up a view screen, and had my father lecture me. In front of everyone."

John snorted. "Sounds brilliant."

"No one touched his daughter again. Not until he'd found her a suitable match," he snickered.

"Speaking of suitable matches," John raised his eyebrows and looked pointedly at Garrus. "What's going on with you and Jane?"

Wrex rumbled out a laugh.

Garrus looked down at his cards, and shrugged, uncomfortable. "I don't know. She shut me down before she left. I thought… I don't know, maybe I was misreading the situation. Maybe she's not interested."

"Oh, she's interested in you, alright," Wrex rumbled. "Don't know why she would be, no-good turian like you," the krogan laughed. "And call." He threw in his chips.

Garrus looked at Wrex suspiciously. "How the hell would  _you_  know?"

"Telling me was involuntary on her part," Wrex leered. "When I called her on it, she turned red in the face."

"Jane can't help but blush when she's embarrassed," John agreed. "And she confirmed it to me, too, Vakarian. So what's up?"

"Who is this Jane, Vakarian? Sounds like a human name," Victus tossed chips in the pile in the centre. "And I raise."

"Fold," Garrus sighed. "Jane Singer. She's the N7 Shadow who was part of the squad extracting you."

"Bit more than that, I'd say," Wrex rumbled.

John grinned, and folded.

"You're aware of this, Commander?" Victus asked, surprised. "It was my understanding that the Alliance has fairly strict rules regarding fraternization."

John shrugged. "This isn't strictly an Alliance ship, Primarch. I have alien crew, my XO is your Reaper Advisor, and when this was a Cerberus vessel I made no secrets of my relationship with Tali'Zorah, our quarian engineer." He realized suddenly he was drunker than he'd originally thought, and was sharing information with the turian Primarch he wouldn't normally.

"How turian of you," Victus said dryly. "There's hope for the human race yet."

John snorted out a laugh, and glanced over at Wrex, who was glaring at Victus. "Come on, ladies, who wins this turian-krogan stare down?"

Wrex and Victus threw down their cards, and John snorted, seeing that both men had pairs of aces.

"Draw. Split the pot," Garrus said dryly. "You appear to be evenly matched."

"Doubt that," Wrex growled, then shocked John when he winked at the Primarch.

"So, anyways," John collected the cards, and started dealing. "You? Jane? Did she shut you down, or something?"

Garrus shrugged. "What's the blind?"

"Big?"

"Small," Garrus replied.

"Fifty," John answered. "And stop avoiding the fucking question, Vakarian."

"I went to go see her after your fight," Garrus answered, and threw in one hundred and fifty. "Raise. She asked me for space, so I'm giving it to her."

"Big move this early in the hand, turian," Wrex narrowed his eyes at Garrus. "And don't be an idiot about Singer, Vakarian. That's not what she meant. Women always mean the opposite of what they say. She wants less space, not more."

Garrus sighed. "She could have come to see me at any time. She didn't."

" _Garrus, I feel I should tell you that she did seek you out while you were on a retrieval mission with Shepard, but left the Normandy to report for duty prior to you waking up after you returned from that mission,"_  EDI interjected.

John and Wrex sent Garrus smug looks. "Told you," John couldn't resist.

"Fuck off," Garrus glared at John. "Why are you playing matchmaker, anyways? You've never bothered before, or you'd have set me up with Miranda." Garrus shuddered. "Spirits, or Jack."

"Miranda? You wouldn't have had a chance, Garrus. I would have set you up with someone like Yeoman Chambers," John replied.

"Someone like Yeoman Chambers? What exactly are you saying about dear Kelly?" Garrus clicked his mandibles.

"That she has a thing for turians," John said wryly.

"Come on, Shepard, the matchmaking?" Garrus pushed.

"I expect a chorus of groans when I admit this, but I miss Tali. " John shrugged, and tossed down his chips. "Call. Matchmaking is keeping my mind off things," he glanced over at Victus. "Have any eligible young bachelors or bachelorettes you need paired off? I'm thinking of starting a side business."

"There's merit to that idea, Shepard," Victus replied, tone dry. "I'm fairly sure your celebrity status would cause everyone looking to find a life mate to flock to you and shower you with credits."

Wrex snorted. "We'll need your services on Tuchanka soon enough," he grinned. "I'll endorse you. For a portion of the profits."

John laughed, and grinned. "Is it wrong to want to see the people I care about happy?"

"I didn't realize your bond with Garrus ran so deep," Victus said, surprised.

"There's that," John replied absently, watching Garrus's body language as Victus raised the bet by another one fifty. "And then there's Jane."

"You are close with this marine as well?" Victus laughed. "You seem to have unusually close relationships with your crew."

John was quiet for several moments. "Primarch, you've earned the right to know, I think, that Jane is my sister."

"Shepard!" Garrus gasped, looking at Wrex.

"I already knew, turian," Wrex replied flatly. "Vakarian? You folding?"

"Call," Garrus replied, tossing down three hundred.

Victus looked between John and Wrex in surprise. "Really?" His gaze settled on Wrex. "You knew?"

"Some truths are let out involuntarily," Wrex replied. "I could smell it."

"And here I thought turians had a good sense of smell," Victus said, folding.

"I've known since Sur'Kesh," Wrex replied. "And I've kept it to myself," the krogan informed John. "So you're welcome, Shepard."

John nodded at Wrex gratefully. "Not many people know," John admitted to Victus. "But I'm finding it harder to keep it secret aboard the ship, so I'm telling people on a need to know basis." He snorted. "You needed to know because I'm drunk enough I'd let it slip. And… I think you've earned trust from me."

"Thank you for that, Commander. I assure you, no one will hear it from me, and I feel that you have earned my trust as well," he raised a glass. "I think I am going to retire, gentlemen. Thank you for the entertainment." The turian Primarch looked at Garrus. "Vakarian, don't let your pride waste your time. If you think you have a chance at happiness with this Jane Singer, then you should let nothing get in your way. I lost my wife many years ago, and I wouldn't trade a single second of the time we had together. And if I could get her back for a mere fifteen minutes… I would."

Garrus blinked at Victus, his mandibles flaring. "I… "

Victus made a quiet sound, and turned back to face John. "Commander, might I have a quick word?""

"Of course," John replied, standing too quickly and stumbling slightly.

"Goodnight," Victus nodded, and walked out of the lounge.

"I'll be back in a minute, don't break anything critical," John said to his favorite ground squad from the Normandy SR1 as he followed the turian primarch out of the lounge.

Victus paused just outside the lounge. "Commander, I'm afraid I need your help," he said. "It is a matter of … some delicacy, but in light of your honesty, I feel that I can … trust you," his mandibles flared in a brief turian grin. "Despite your level of inebriation."

"Don't worry, EDI will play this conversation back to me when I wake up, right, EDI?"

" _Of course, Commander,"_  the AI replied.  _"And might I add that Joker wishes me to inform you that he hates you and wishes he was never assigned to the Normandy."_

"Thanks, EDI," John replied wryly. "Make sure he drinks water, and tell him not to throw up, or he'll probably break something."

" _I will inform him of your reply, Commander,"_  EDI answered.

John turned to Victus. "What do you need?"

"One of my ships has gone missing," Victus began. "Crashed, actually. I couldn't speak in front of the krogan… Uh, I mean, Wrex. Our ship went down on Tuchanka. Now they're pinned down by Reapers."

"What are your men doing there?" John hissed quietly, knowing how keen krogan ears were.

Victus looked down. He almost appeared abashed. "I'm sorry. That's … classified."

"Uh huh," John said flatly, putting his hands on his hips.

"It's vital they be rescued. They must complete their original mission," Victus pleaded, his tone passionate. "Commander… It's a matter of galactic  _peace."_

John stared at Victus for a long moment, grateful that his years working with Garrus had given him insight into turian facial expressions and the meaning behind the subharmonics. Victus believed what he was saying. If anything, to the Primarch, this mission was more important than Reaper missions.

John felt a thrill of excitement pass over him. Finally. A mission with potential for  _action._  They'd pick up Janey tomorrow, and then go kill some fucking  _Reapers._

"I'll do what I can, Primarch," John promised.

"Thank you," Victus replied in relief. "I appreciate the help. And the understanding."

"How many men are there?"

"A platoon."

"And you said it was a matter of galactic peace?" John asked, his tone mild.

"As I said, it's highly classified," Victus answered in an apologetic tone. "Please understand, I can't tell you." He turned away, then let out a loud sigh. "The commander is Lieutenant Tarquin Victus. He'll be your contact."

"Victus?" John's eyebrows raised in surprise. It could be a common name on Palaven…

"My son," the Primarch turned back around to face John. "I needed someone I could trust completely. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Of course. Goodnight, Primarch."

Victus bowed slightly, and walked away.

Bemused, John wandered back into the Lounge as Wrex was standing up. "Ah, Shepard, I had something I wanted to talk to you about. Didn't want to say anything while the Primarch was here," he looked over at Garrus. "Don't much care about bird brain, though."

"What do you need, Wrex?" John asked, amused.

"One of my squads is missing," Wrex grunted. "They were scouting out the Rachni Relay. We've heard rumours of trouble in the area."

"Rachni?" Garrus asked, his tone sharp.

Wrex glanced back. "Thought that'd get your attention," he grinned. "Remember Noveria? Oh, no you don't, because Shepard brought me and Liara and left you behind."

"I remember you not getting to go on the final push against Saren," Garrus narrowed his eyes.

Wrex grunted, and turned back to John. "I have a favor to ask. It's big."

"Big like Rachni being back, big? Don't tell me they're back," John almost threw his hands up in the air. What the hell  _else_  could go wrong?

"Ha! Wrex, you'll have to stay on the ship this time – can't damage the 'healthy specimen,'" Garrus leaned back in his chair, obviously amused. "I'll finally have the chance to even the score and  _you'll_  be stuck behind."

Wrex rolled his eyes. "All I know for sure is our scouts went silent as soon as they arrived. I've got Aralakh Company, my bets unit, on standby. You give the word, and they'll meet you there."

John nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Wrex."

"Get on it, Shepard," Wrex said as he walked out of the lounge.

Garrus and John looked at each other, and laughed. John sat back down at the poker table, and gathered the cards, shuffling them absently.

"So that just happened," John said, the feeling of the cards moving through his hands soothing and rhythmic. "I never thought I'd face Rachni again."

"I never thought I'd see Wrex and Adrien act civilized towards each other," Garrus shrugged. "If they can get through tonight and walk away without killing each other, I'd say that Rachni coming back is well within the realm of possibility."

John snorted with laughter.

"Worried about Jane?" Garrus asked astutely.

John shrugged. "Yeah. Won't stop being worried until she's back on the ship."

The turian nodded. "Shepard…" he sighed. "I… Spirits, I can't stop worrying about her. It's driving me crazy, not knowing if she's ok. I've written her an embarrassing number of messages, and she hasn't responded, and now I'm even worried that she hasn't been able to check her messages, and she's going to think I'm crazy when she sees how many insane messages I've sent her – "

"Garrus, calm down," John fought to keep down the laughter. "If she's mad, she'll appreciate that you haven't given up, and if she hasn't been able to read her messages, she'll think it's cute."

"Don't fuck with me, Shepard," Garrus replied. "She's going to think I'm crazy."

"Maybe. But you can't take it back now, so you might as well lie to yourself," John teased. "And she's worked with this team before. They'll be fine." John let out a long breath. "I sent her a few messages, too. She hasn't answered me, either."

"Why is she so angry with you?" Garrus asked.

"No idea," John shrugged. "Jane has a temper. Usually when she's scared. She'll tell me what's wrong when she's ready."

"You're awfully patient with her considering the fact that the end of us all could be tomorrow," Garrus grunted.

"I thought she was dead until I was 18. Don't much care if she's pissed at me as long she's alive."

Garrus laughed. "I see your point, Shepard."

"Alright, Vakarian," John stood up and stretched. "Let's leave James to his rest. I'll see you tomorrow. Night, Garrus."

"Night, Shepard."


	13. Chapter 13

**2173**

_Jane was walking down New York's sidewalk, hand slipping lightly into pockets and grabbing whatever she could find. Picking pockets wasn't her favorite way to make money, but Lily needed diapers, and things had been slow at Mama's lately, the diner where Bob had worked for the last year and a half. The same diner where Pat had invited Jane to live with her, all those years ago._

_Bob had only just managed to make it through her final exams before she'd gone into labor with Lily. The school had needed to mail her diploma, because Bob hadn't yet been released from the hospital._

_Jane's omnitool pinged, and she lifted it to her face, recognizing Jethro's ID._

" _Hey," she greeted, holding the speaker close to her ear. The video feature had broken three weeks ago, but she couldn't justify the time or the money needed to fix it._

"Hey, Gadget," _Jethro's voice was tinny through the speaker._  "Can you pick up some milk and diapers before you come home?"

" _Yeah, just picking up my paycheck," she replied absently, eyes focused on a broad shouldered man in front of her. "I'm probably going to stop by the diner and see if they can send me home with some dinner for us."_

"Sounds good," _Jethro replied._  "Lily's crying, gotta go."

" _See you later," Jane ended the connection and shadowed the man in front of her. She picked up the pace slightly, and brushed against his side, hand dropping into his pocket, fingers closing around a credit chit._

_She continued along, her hand slipping out of his pocket, dropping down beside her naturally, about to slip into her pocket –_

" _Hey!" A strong grip tightened around Jane's wrist._

_Jane twisted, her heart hammering in her chest. The big man she'd just tried to steal from was now holding her tightly, his face frowning down at her in bemused annoyance._

" _I'm pretty sure that's my credit chit you just palmed," he said mildly. "But you look like you need it more than I do. Can I buy you some dinner?"_

_Her jaw dropped open in surprise. "What's your game, mister?" She muttered, tugging futilely against his grip._

" _No game," the man replied. "You pick the place. You just look hungry."_

_She scowled at him suspiciously, but knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. "There's a diner over here," she pointed, and one he released her wrist, she led the way to Mama's. It was a safe location, since Bob was working tonight, and Jane knew everyone on the staff._

_Instead of sitting down at the counter as she normally did, Jane led the man to a booth. Bob's dark eyes were hard on the pair, her gaze flitting between the two._

" _What's your name?" He asked kindly, sitting down across from Jane._

_Jane looked down at the table, and shrugged. "Jane."_

" _Hi, Jane, I'm David," the man greeted._

" _Hey, Gadget, everything ok?"_

_Jane looked up at Kiev, the enormously fat line cook. "Hey, yeah, it's fine, can we get some coffee?"_

_Kiev nodded suspiciously. "Yeah, Roberta will bring it over in just a sec."_

_Bob approached with two cups and a coffee pot in hand, two menus tucked under her arm. "Hey, Gadget," she greeted, plunking the cups down on the table, filling them efficiently. "You need sugar or cream?" Bob asked David, one hand on her hip._

" _Yes, please," he smiled at Bob, ignoring her scowl. She dropped the menus down on the table, and stormed away. "Friends of yours?"_

_Jane grinned and shrugged. "Well, I wasn't about to pick a place where I knew no one," she explained. "You might be a psychopath, or something."_

" _Not quite," he said ruefully._

_Bob returned to the table, and dropped a bowl full of creamers down in front of him. "What do you want?"_

_David looked at Bob appraisingly. "Do you have pie? And whatever my friend Jane here would like."_

" _We got apple, lemon and blueberry," Bob listed off. "Gadget, you want a cheeseburger?"_

_Jane nodded, looking down at the table, blushing faintly._

" _I'll have a slice of lemon," David looked between the two. "Do you have anyone at home you want to bring some dinner home for? My treat."_

" _Why?" Jane whispered, but nodded at Bob. "Something for Lily and Jethro," she instructed._

_Bob paled slightly, and backed away from the table._

" _You have light hands, Jane," David said. "Do you always make your money this way?"_

_Jane shook her head. "No," she muttered. "I'm just trying to survive."_

" _Surviving can be tough," he agreed. "The choices you have to make, between life and death, they are never easy."_

" _Who_ are _you?" Jane burst out. "Why are you being so nice to me?"_

" _My name is David Anderson. Lieutenant David Anderson with the Alliance Marines," David introduced himself. "I'm here on mandatory leave, after a mission I was on went south. I used to live in this neighborhood with my mom and sister, and I wanted to see the old neighborhood." He smiled down at Jane. "I grew up here, managed to get a full ride to Westminster. I've called London home ever since. How old are you, Jane?"_

_Jane shrugged. "Almost 18," she lied._

" _You have papers to prove that?"_

_Her eyes met David's. He knew she was lying about her age, she could tell. So, what was his game?_

" _Yeah," she answered._

" _You planning on picking pockets for the rest of your life?" He asked, raising his eyebrows._

_Bob returned with their food that moment, putting their plates down on the table. "Gadget, Kiev put onion rings on it like you like."_

_Jane grinned gratefully at Bob._

" _Why do you call her Gadget?" David asked Bob, putting a forkful of pie into his mouth._

" _Because Gadget rips stuff apart and puts stuff together," Bob explained. "She's always messing around with gadgets."_

" _Shut up, Bob," Jane muttered, blushing._

" _What kind of gadgets?" David asked, curious._

" _I don't know, stuff for school projects, things like that," Jane took a big bite of her cheeseburger._

_David looked at Jane with interest, pushing another forkful of lemon pie into his mouth. "Roberta, this is delicious pie," he said after swallowing. "I might have to come back for a second slice."_

" _Call me Bob," she replied. "Everyone else does. And thanks for buying my husband and daughter dinner."_

" _Jethro and Lily?" David asked._

_Bob nodded. "Here's your bill."_

_David looked at Jane, and raised his eyebrows. "You can keep the rest," he offered._

_Jane, blushing furiously, pulled the credit chit out of her pocket and handed it to Bob._

" _Oh, Gadget, you didn't," Bob sighed, taking the credit chit. "I'll be right back," she shook her head at Jane disapprovingly._

" _I'll come back tomorrow night," David informed Jane. "For another piece of pie. If you're interested in talking about a future that doesn't involve picking pockets."_

_He stood up, smiled down at Jane one last time, and walked out of the diner._

* * *

_Jane's eyes snapped open in the middle of the night. She froze, listening for what woke her._

_There it was. Lily was fussing._

_She forced herself out of bed, and crossed the small room to Lily's crib._

" _What's bothering you now, you little monster?" She whispered, pulling the toddler from her crib and snuggling her close. "Oh, I smell it," she teased, kissing Lily's chubby cheek._

_Jane lifted Lily onto the change table, and quickly changed her full diaper. Lily stared up at her sleepily, and smiled faintly when Jane scooped her back into her arms._

" _She giving you any trouble?"_

_Jane glanced over at Jethro, sitting in his wheelchair in the open door to her room. Jane put Lily down in the crib, smoothing down her hair._

" _No, she just needed a change, " Jane said softly._

" _Bob will be home soon," Jethro replied. "Want to wait up for her? It might be nice for us to be awake when she comes home – we're almost always sleeping when she comes home."_

" _That's a good idea," Jane propelled herself towards the door, following Jethro into the living room._

_The threesome still lived in the same apartment building. Because the building didn't have an elevator, Jane had bribed the super to let them move into a ground-level apartment as soon as it had become available. Their new apartment was smaller, but Jethro had freedom of movement, and that was really all that mattered to Jane and Bob._

_It still boggled Jane's mind. Jethro hadn't blamed Jane at all for the explosion in the Red's lab. Neither had Bob, not after her first few days of chilly anger. They'd told Jane repeatedly that they didn't blame her, that it was a mistake – an_ accident _, that she had to move on, but Jane's guilt colored almost everything she did._

_Jane refused to return to the Reds. Not after Jethro almost died. She just couldn't do it. So she would pick people's pockets to make ends meet, when Bob didn't pull in enough from Mama's._

_Her savings had all been drained away over the last two years. Babies were expensive. Petty crime didn't pay well._

_Jane wasn't too optimistic about her future._

" _I have something I want to talk to you and Bob about," Jethro said suddenly._

" _Is everything ok?," she asked, concerned by his serious tone._

" _Yeah, it's fine…" he trailed off and looked into the distance. "I just… " he shrugged._

_The front door opened, revealing Bob._

" _Hey," she greeted, dropping her bag and bending down to give Jethro a lingering kiss. "What are you two doing up? You have school tomorrow, Jane!"_

" _I know, Bob," Jane replied. "Lily woke me up, and you were almost home. Besides… Jethro has something to talk to us about."_

_Jethro took a deep breath. "Ok. Here goes. I got accepted to Colombia on a partial scholarship," Jethro handed Bob a datapad. "Just got my acceptance email today."_

_Bob's jaw dropped. "Jethro," she whispered, a grin spreading across her face. "This is amazing! I'm so proud of you!"_

" _How are we going to pay for it, though?" Jethro asked, his voice frustrated._

" _I graduate in two months," Jane said quietly. "We get Ollie to forge me paperwork that says I'm old enough, and I enlist in the Alliance."_

_Bob and Jethro stared at Jane, their faces horrified._

" _What? No, don't be stupid!" Jethro exclaimed. "God, Gadget you could_ die. _It's way too dangerous. We'll find another way!_ "

" _That man," Jane explained to Bob. "At Mama's tonight. He's Alliance. Marines. He wants to talk to me about enlisting tomorrow night."_

_Bob nodded, patting Jethro's shoulder. "Why didn't I think of it sooner?" She asked, dark eyebrows drawn together. "We should both enlist."_

" _What? Bob, what the hell are you talking about? What… You could_ die! _Think about Lily!" Jethro grabbed Bob's wrist, and jerked her towards him. "What the hell are you thinking?"_

" _I_ am _thinking about Lily," Bob said softly, kneeling down in front of Jethro and taking his hands. "The Alliance has_ benefits _for family. And they pay well. Way better than I'll ever make at Mama's. And between Jane and I, we can put you through school until you get a job, and then we can retire and you can support_ us _, ok?"_

_Desperately, Jethro pulled Bob into his lap, and held her tightly. "I can't lose you, Bob."_

" _You won't, baby," Bob whispered back. "I promise."_

* * *

_The next night, Jane found herself sitting at the counter in Mama's, cup of coffee and a plate of fries in front of her._

_She knew the moment David arrived and walked through the door, even though her back was to the entrance. The conversation dimmed, and patrons started shifting uncomfortably._

" _Jane?"_

" _Hi, David," Jane greeted, and gestured for him to sit down. "I want to enlist. And so does Bob," Jane blurted out._

_David's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Now, here I thought I was going to have to convince you."_

" _Things change," Jane replied, her voice tight. "But… I want to know why you want me?"_

" _Look, kid. I know that you're smart and hard working… A tech genius, your science teacher might have said," Anderson said kindly. "I went by your school, spoke to some of your teachers today. They said that up until two years ago, you were at the top of your class. Then something happened, and your grades dropped dramatically. You could have gone to university on a full scholarship if you'd kept up your grades."_

_Jane shrugged. "Jethro got hurt. Lily came. My priorities changed."_

" _I know about Jethro. About the accident. I did some digging, and a few things came up," David said quietly. "I think it is admirable you dedicated your life to them after Jethro's accident."_

_Jane's heart was thundering in her chest, and she felt like she might throw up. "A few things came up?" Jane asked, her voice high pitched with nerves. "What do you mean? Should I be worried?"_

" _Nothing that anyone could ever stick on you," David went on. "So stop panicking. But the files make me very interested to see what you've got to offer the Alliance."_

_Bob approached quietly, and put a plate of lemon pie down in front of David. "On the house," she whispered._

" _Thank you, Bob," David smiled at her kindly._

_Jane met David's eyes, and saw only understanding, and compassion – no judgment or sympathy. For some reason, she trusted this man completely. And she knew her decision was the right one._

_It was the only choice she had. Her only shot._

" _It's going to be ok, Jane," David reassured her._

_She stared at him, suddenly grateful, and let herself feel hope for the first time in a long time. "I hope you're right," she whispered back._

* * *

_Three months later, Jane and Bob stood outside of the Alliance shuttle that would take them to Vancouver for basic training._

_Lily was clinging to Bob, her eyes wide with tears. "No, no, no, no!" She screamed, her arms locked tightly around Bob's neck. Tears welling in her eyes, Jane helped Bob pull the toddler free and settled Lily on Jethro's lap._

" _I love you," he said tightly to Bob. "Be safe, and write every chance you get."_

" _I will," Bob promised, pressing a kiss to his lips, then straightening. "C'mon, Gadget. Let's get out of here."_

_Jane glanced back at Jethro and Lily as she followed Bob into the shuttle. Commander Anderson was waiting inside, a wide smile on his face._

" _Welcome to the Alliance, recruits," he greeted. "I expect great things from both of you. Don't let me down."_

" _We won't, sir," Jane promised earnestly. This was her best shot, and she wasn't going to fuck it up._

**2186**

"Major Hepner," Jane, with a cheeky grin as she approached the giant soldier waiting for her. As she stopped in front of him, she saluted her squad leader and close friend.

The N7 Destroyer was still the biggest man Jane had ever seen. He stood at almost 7 feet, towering over her, his massive bulk not quite as overwhelming as James's, but impressive nonetheless.

Quinn sent her a scowl, and ran a hand through his unruly blond hair. "Singer," he greeted, then pulled her into a hug. "Been  _way_  too long."

"You look good," Jane observed.

Quinn flexed an arm and laugh. "Keeping up appearances," he shrugged. "The galaxy might be going to hell, but I'm not going to let that keep me from getting laid."

"Ass," Jane said fondly, falling into step beside the Destroyer.

"Being assigned to the Normandy must be incredible," Quinn glanced down at her. "Imagine my surprise when I found out my little Shadow found her way aboard  _the_  Normandy."

Jane grinned. "It's pretty great," she admitted. "Commander Shepard is a great leader, and he gets all the best missions."

"No doubt," Quinn sighed. "Our first mission is actually to a place he already cleared."

"Where abouts?"

"Set of Cerberus labs. On Sanctum," Quinn read off his omnitool. "I don't know, we'll have a mission briefing on the way."

"I was part of the support crew on Commander Shepard's mission to Sanctum," Jane mused. "Didn't see much of the labs, but I studied the plans really closely."

"Support crew, huh? Burn," Quinn teased.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Child. I wasn't the best choice for extracting Reaper tech," she shrugged. "Too big a risk of indoctrination, believe it or not."

"Who the hell  _isn't_  at risk of indoctrination?" Quinn asked, his tone curious.

"Uh… a robot," Jane replied awkwardly, looking at him sideways. "The Normandy has an… interesting crew."

"I've heard. Turians and krogan, asari and quarian," he laughed. "Good thing you're not xenophobic, or anything."

"You know how I grew up," Jane nudged him. "I hold the species who didn't treat me like shit growing up with at  _least_  as much regard as the one that did."

Quinn snorted, gesturing for Jane to walk into decon for his small cruiser, the SSV Ogilvie. He followed her in, and leaned against the wall. "You look good, Jane. Better than you've looked in a while. You've been sleeping?"

Jane nodded, casting him a quick glance before looking down at the floor plating.

"I don't bring it up to make you feel bad, Singer," Quinn put a hand on her shoulder. "I just need to be sure your head is in a good place right now. We're all being run a bit ragged, and I can't imagine the great Commander Shepard has enough time to make sure that all his crew is doing good."

"Commander Shepard makes his crew his top priority," Jane defended her brother instantly. "He spends hours debriefing us, getting to know us, helping us deal with problems and old unresolved missions and stuff. Gotta be part of the reason why he's always successful."

"Simmer down, girl," Quinn laughed. "I see you've imbibed the Shepard Kool-Aid quite freely. And maybe I detect a bit of a crush?"

"Don't be gross," she replied. "That's my CO you're talking about."

" _We_  had a 100% success rate, Jane," Quinn replied, his tone annoyed. "He's not the only one in the Alliance who gets shit done. He's just the one with the best media coverage. And come on, Singer. Admit it – you have a crush on the man. Hell,  _I_  have a crush on the man."

"We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one," Jane answered dryly. "And no. I don't have a crush on Commander Shepard. I do, however, have a crush," Jane sent him a wink. "On Commander Shepard's incredibly sexy turian XO."

Quinn stared at Jane for a long moment before letting out an amused snort. "I thought you got over your alien thing after that asari broke your heart."

"She didn't break my heart," Jane muttered. "She just stomped on it a little bit. Can we drop it, please? Who did you get for the mission?"

"You and me and Zee and Bob," Quinn answered, amused. "Whole gang's here!"

"No shit, Bob's here?" Jane grinned widely. "Let's get inside!" She glanced around, realizing the decon cycle was still going on. "You're kidding me, this has got to be the longest decon I've ever gone through. I can't believe it's still going."

"Slowest decon in the Alliance," Quinn said fondly. "But no VI, cameras or nosey crew to overhear us here, so I've never had it upgraded. Good chance to talk when no one can overhear."

Jane laughed. "Fair."

"I can override it in case of emergency, but that doesn't happen very often," Quinn shrugged, then gestured for Jane to enter the SSV Olgilvie as the cycle ended and the airlock opened. "Welcome aboard, Singer."

"Hey, Major, Citadel flight control wants us outta here in five," the pilot called over her shoulder.

"Lieutenant Jane Singer, meet Flight Lieutenant Kendra Peters," Quinn introduced. "Jane's joining us for the next mission. Kendra's the best pilot this side of the Terminus."

"Thanks, Major," Peters said dryly. "But I know the Lieutenant is posted to the Normandy. I'm not even close to Joker's level, but I'm a suitable understudy."

Jane grinned. "Ah, but you have something Joker's  _never_  had," she laughed.

"What's that?"

"Humility," Jane quipped.

The Flight Lieutenant snickered. "Releasing docking clamp now, Major."

"What's our ETA?"

"Day and a half, sir," Peters replied.

"Come on, Singer, I'll show you where you're bunking," Quinn turned, gesturing for Jane to follow. "Hey, I forgot to ask, how's your leg?"

"A-okay," Jane replied. "Totally reovered."

"Good, I need you at your best," he said absently.

They walked down a set of metal stairs, boots clanking loudly.

"Ah, there she is. Our team is now complete."

Jane froze, and let out a long breath. "Petrovsky," she greeted with a small nod to the small Russian biotic.

"Is good to see you, Singer," Petrovsky pushed her hood back off her head, grinning with a vicious edge.

"Sure, you too, Zee," Jane replied flatly.

"Hey, Gadget."

Jane spun, her face breaking into a wide smile.

"Bob!" She exclaimed, grinning at her. "Love the new haircut! It's so short!" Jane rushed down the stairs, pushing Quinn out of the way, and pulled the stocky woman into her arms. "Oh my god, Bob. I…"

Bob lifted her arms around Jane's shaking shoulders and squeezed. "Hey, Gadget," she said quietly, her husky voice rough and familiar.

"Fuck, I've missed you so much," Jane breathed. She pulled back and looked deeply into Bob's face. Her childhood best friend grinned at her, dark eyes dancing.

"Jethro sends his love," Bob smirked.

"And Lily?"

"They're both safe, Jane," Bob reassured her. "Jethro got off Earth before the Reapers invaded, and they're on the Citadel, safe and sound."

Jane let out a long breath. "How's Lily?"

Bob laughed. "She's amazing, Jane," she gushed. "She's so smart. She's  _just_  like Jethro. She's getting so old, too. You won't even recognize her."

Jane laughed. "Looks like you, though, right?"

Bob barked out a laugh. "Oh, shut up," she hugged Jane tightly again. "Nice to know you'll have my six."

"Same," Jane sighed, hugging her back.

"Social hour is over, ladies," Quinn said flatly. "Bob, show Singer to your bunk. I'll see you at chow."

Jane grinned at Bob, and followed her into a tiny bunk with two narrow beds. "I almost thought we'd have to share with Zee."

"Yeah, no fucking way," Bob said flatly. "She's still a cunt. Brilliant, but a cunt. God, she's developed this new biotic skill, Jane… It's terrifying. She's calling it an annihilation field. She's such a spooky bitch."

"Bob," Jane warned quietly.

"Yeah, yeah," Bob hopped up onto the top bunk. "I still hate her."

Jane snorted. "You hate everyone."

Bob smiled happily. "Yeah, I do."

* * *

The Ogilvie hid from Cerberus's sensors as soon as they reached Sanctum by landing on the dark side of one of Sanctum's moons and magnetizing the shields to attract the moon's metallic dust. After three days of waiting, Alliance Intelligence finally gave them the go-ahead to proceed with the mission.

Jane approached the Kodiak in the Ogilvie's hold, ten minutes earlier than when Quinn ordered, as was her custom. She'd always needed a few minutes of calm before a mission to clear her head and afford her the clarity she needed in battle.

"I had forgotten you do this," Zee emerged from the shuttle, her arms crossed over her chest. Her armor was cherry red – the same colour as the bright red lipstick she wore. "Meditate before battle. I will go if you want."

"It's fine, Zee," Jane greeted, cursing the woman silently.

Jane didn't like the Russian biotic. Zee was a snarky, bitter bitch, who was constantly argumentative. How she managed to make it so far in the Alliance military was still a mystery to Jane, but the woman was a powerful Fury, and she ripped shit to shreds with her biotic explosions.

Even if she did style her hair in elaborate updos and wear bright red lipstick in battle.

"I am not certain that bringing us together again is a good idea," Zee went on, leaning against the shuttle, a sour look on her face. "We have all moved on. I work better alone now."

"Yeah? You in my old department?" Jane asked, curious. Black ops would be suitable to Zee's personality. She'd make a perfect assassin.

She shrugged. "You know I cannot speak of it."

"I can imagine your new skill – what was it that Bob called it? Annihilation field? Anyways, I can imagine it would be useful, in my old industry," Jane said in a teasing tone. "How does it work, anyways?"

"In principle, it is a fancy warp," Zee replied quietly. "I am most proud of dark channel, although I am not solely responsible for its development."

"What makes it so noteworthy?" Jane asked, now genuinely curious. Zee might be bitchy, but she was also smart and innovative.

"After it kills one target, it jumps to the next closest within a ten meter range," Zee said with a strangely smug pride.

"I'm impressed," Jane said with appreciation. "Does it set up biotic explosions?"

Zee nodded.

The elevator doors hissed open revealing Bob and Quinn, both wearing their gear.

"Shit, Quinn. What the hell kind of armor is that?" Jane whistled, giving him a slow once-over.

"My T5-V Battlesuit," he replied. "You can play with it later, if you want to see what makes this suit tick."

The armor would have been intimidating, even if it wasn't being worn by the tall, muscular Quinn. Like Zee, Quinn's armor was red, but where Zee's was bright, Quinn's was a dark, reminding Jane of thick blood covering black metal, and lacquered to a glossy shine.

"She's practically salivating already," Bob teased, before climbing onto the shuttle.

"Shut it," Jane replied absently, running a hand along his gauntlet. "This is a  _gorgeous_  suit of armor. Motorized joints?"

Zee sniffed and followed Bob.

"Yeah, to counteract the weight of it," Quinn gestured for Jane to get in the shuttle. "It generates one  _beast_  of a shield, too. Hardly even need to bother with cover."

She climbed into the shuttle, followed closely by Quinn.

"Let's do this, ladies," Quinn grinned. "This one is gonna be a piece of cake."

* * *

The labs on Sanctum were exactly what Jane remembered from the report. The foursome scouted the grounds quickly. Zee split off from Jane, Bob and Quinn within seconds of disembarking.

"I work better alone," she said in parting, activating the menacing looking annihilation field.

"Fancy warp my ass," Jane muttered, frowning slightly. "There's something seriously hinky about the annihilation field."

"I did a shakedown run with Zee a few months back," Quinn let Jane take the lead, taking up their six with his M-76 Revenant in hand. "It might be hinky, but it is effective. Her kill rate is insane."

Jane snorted faintly, but sobered instantly when their pilot's voice flooded their comms.

" _Incoming wave!"_

"There's good cover in the basement," Jane snapped instantly.

"Lead the way, Singer," Quinn replied.

Jane moved them through a particle lab, and into another part of the facility. EDI had recovered some reaper tech from this particular station, and her report read that the desks were reinforced with titanium to help prevent indoctrination.

Her report also read that the titanium had no preventative effect.

Either way, it made for some fearsome cover.

"When the hell did you two get so fucking professional," Bob complained as she swung into cover and set up a supply pylon. "Stay in range, it regenerates shields," Bob explained, jerking her thumb to indicate the pylon. "Anyways, it used to be fun. We used to banter. Remember?"

"We used to almost die regularly," Quinn reminded her. "I'm growing reasonable in my old age."

"Assault troopers!" Bob warned, pulling out a wicked looking assault rifle and resting it on the edge of the work station. "Here they come!" Bob opened fire of the assault troopers, her assault rifle ripping them to shreds.

Jane grinned, and set her target on one of the assault troopers and activated her silent strike. After she reappeared behind him and sliced him through, she darted back into cover and sent out an electric slash at an approaching centurion, knocking him off his feet.

"It's good to be back together again, don't you think?" Quinn asked as he finished off the centurion with two shots to the head.

" _I have zee last enemy downed,"_  Zee reported.

" _There's another wave incoming!"_  Their pilot announced tersely into their comms.

"Bring it!" Bob crowed.

* * *

"Zee ok?" Jane asked into the comms before popping out of cover and taking down a centurion's shields with her SMG. Bob followed up by taking him out with her Typhoon.

" _I got her,"_  Quinn answered.  _"She's fine. Just needed some medigel. I'm going stay with her for a bit before I make my way back to you. How far into the download are you?"_

"Still hacking the encryptions," Jane replied.

" _Keep at it. We'll try to draw most of the fire so you can focus,"_  Quinn cut the comms.

"So, tell me about your turian," Bob requested, huddling back down behind the desk. She'd set up her supply pylon moments after arriving in the office, and the faint beep of the regeneration of Jane's shields was reassuring.

Jane was hunched behind desk focused on hacking the terminal. She was out of cover, which made Bob's supply pylon all the more valuable. It housed thermal clips and grenades, and regenerated the shields of everyone within its range. It was Bob's own design, her first development after she'd completed her N7 training.

Jane jerked in surprise at Bob's words, distracted briefly from her hack. She glared at Bob, and returned to work on the terminal.

"Almost got it," she said in a hushed voice. "These encryptions are a bitch." For a fleeting moment, Jane missed Garrus's presence with a poignant longing – he could hack better than almost anyone she knew, and if he was here they'd be halfway through the download by now.

"Ok. Got it. Uploading data to the Alliance servers," Jane said quietly, her hand pressed to her ear, comm activated. "Should take about five minutes." She disconnected from the comms and focused on Bob. "And… my  _turian?"_  She couldn't help the snort that escaped her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be purposely obtuse," Bob replied archly. "Hey, Quinn," she pressed two fingers to her ear. "You need to restock your grenades? How stingy do I need to be? Jorge only carries a dozen. And did you or did you not tell me that Jane has a turian on the Normandy?"

" _Jorge?"_

"My supply pylon," Bob said, laughing.

"Operative at 11 o'clock," Jane told Bob quietly.

The N7 Demolisher popped out of cover, aiming her Typhoon at the Operative. Jane watched as the Operative's head all but disintegrated under the force of Bob's weapon.

" _I could use a resupply,"_  Quinn replied.  _"I'm heading your way. How goes the download? And yes, Jane has a turian aboard the Normandy."_

"We're in cover by the lab equipment," Bob replied.

"We've got about three minutes left on the download," Jane added. "And thanks for being so discrete, Quinn."

" _Why does no one ever ask_ me _if I need to restock my grenades?"_  Zee complained over the comms.

"Because you don't carry grenades,  _Zelda_. Or, really, weapons of any kind," Bob replied, rolling her eyes at Jane. "But if you need more termal clips and all the caches in this lab – Jane, Guardian, coming around the corner – are empty, by all means come and use my supply pylon."

Jane activated her Silent Strike again, rushing quickly and invisibly behind the Cerberus operative holding the heavy shield. She sliced his head off before he had the chance to realize Jane was there.

" _Do not call me Zelda,"_  the Russian snapped.  _"Petrovsky or Zee. Not Zelda."_

"Whatever you say,  _Zelda,"_  Bob snapped back.

" _Put your claws away,"_  Quinn interrupted.  _"Bob, I'll be there in a minute. Zee, keep up a constant circuit of the labs, try to keep everyone focused on us, and pick off the stragglers. And stop fucking flooding the comms with petty, useless chatter."_

"Whatever," Bob sighed, and turned to look at Jane. "So where were we?"

"Don't remember," Jane's eyes were focused on movement just outside of the door. "Incoming wave," she muttered, stepping back and preparing to release an electric slash at anyone coming through the door.

Bob readied herself. "I believe we were talking about your turian."

As soon as a Cerberus Trooper stepped through the door, Bob started laying down suppression fire as Jane released electric slash after electric slash into the door's opening, forcing the combatants back out of the office.

"His name is Garrus," Jane said when she dropped back into cover. "And he's not mine."

"Garrus, huh?" Bob panted. "As in Vakarian? Like Commander Shepard's best friend and all that?"

"Yup," Jane answered, laying down some suppression fire with her SMG.

"So what's going on between you two?"

"Really, Bob? You want to talk about this in the middle of a battle?" Jane asked, slightly annoyed. When she popped out of cover to fire off another electric slash, she spotted Quinn through the door, sprinting into cover across from Jane and Bob. "I see Quinn."

"When the hell else are we going to talk about it?" Bob replied, exasperated. "You've been disappearing every time I try to ask you about anything personal on the Ogilvie."

Jane blushed faintly, and pressed her fingers to her comm. "Quinn, we see you and we've got your six. Laying down suppression fire, come to us on my go."

" _Understood,"_  Quinn replied, sounding vaguely surprised.

"Go!" Jane snapped when she heard the lull in the shooting. In moments, the tall man was hunkering down behind the desk.

"You've come a long way, Singer," Quinn informed Jane.

"Excuse me?" She replied, loosing another electric slash at a Guardian who only staggered back a few steps. "Fuck, those assholes are hard to kill."

"You should get a sniper," Quinn observed, pulling his off his back. "And I mean that you're better at being a part of a team."

Jane dropped into cover and looked at Quinn. "I wasn't before?"

"You weren't as much of a team player," he popped out of cover, Indra in hand, and shot the Guardian in the face through the slot in his shield. The Guardian dropped to the ground, shield falling with a loud clatter. "You were more like Zee."

Bob and Jane both shot Quinn a glare.

"Independent, I mean," he explained, sounding exasperated.

"Quinn, stop talking, Jane was finally giving details about the turian on the Normandy," Bob complained.

"Nothing's happened yet," Jane sighed. "Ok? And anyways, the last time I saw him I think I fucked it up, so just leave it alone."

Bob made a warning sound, and launched a homing grenade into a cluster of Troopers. "Atlas incoming."

"Oh, let me," Jane enthused, and activated her silent strike. In a matter of seconds, Jane had hobbled the atlas by cutting its hydraulics, and, cloaked, made her way back into cover. "Bob, arc grenade the shit out of that fucker!"

"With pleasure," Bob growled, and launched a demolitions assault on the heavy mech, dropping back into cover the _moment_  the atlas exploded, shrapnel missing her hair by a millimeter.

" _Zat atlas was the last of them,"_  Zee reported, her accent heavy.  _"Zee building is clear."_

Jane sighed, stood up, stretching, and grinned down at Bob and Quinn. Quinn stood with a small groan. Bob was kneeling next to her supply pylon, breaking it down and stowing it away.

"Well, that went fairly well," Bob observed as she straightened as well.

"It was fun. Let's do it again some time," Jane joked, backing out of the office.

" _Jane!"_  Bob screamed in warning.

Jane spun, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the Guardian behind her. She had enough time to register that his shield was moving towards her too fast for her to avoid before pain bloomed in Jane's face and everything went dark.

* * *

"That's it, Gadget."

"… of all the irresponsible, bullshit moves you've pulled, Zelda – "

"I  _thought_  the area was clear. And do not call me Zelda."

Jane's eyes rolled in her head, the blackness receding as consciousness returned.

"Come on, Jane, open your eyes."

She blinked slowly, looking around. She was aboard a shuttle. The Kodiak they'd boarded to take them down to Sanctum.

Bob was hovering close, her eyes dark and worried.

"Wha' happened?" Jane managed, swallowing, meeting Bob's eyes.

The left side of her face was  _throbbing,_  head pounding and spinning rhythmically. Her stomach was doing sickening, lazy flip-flops. She swallowed heavily again, trying to will the nausea away.

"Fine, then,  _Corporal Petrovsky_."

Quinn's vicious snarl caught Jane's attention, and she slowly moved her head to look towards him. The big man was leaning over the diminutive Russian Biotic aggressively. She wasn't backing down, however, her hands on her hips, her absurdly red lips curled into an angry sneer.

"Your actions were irresponsible, reckless and could have resulted in the death or a teammate," Quinn snapped, pointing his finger into her face.

Petrovsky glanced over at Jane with disdain and shrugged. "She's awake and alive, I do not understand, why does this matter?"

With a roar, Quinn grabbed Petrovsky by the arms and shoved her back against the shuttle's bulkhead.

"Quinn," Jane spoke weakly, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "I'm ok. Don' worry 'bout it."

"She cleared the area, Jane," Quinn snarled, his face inches from Zee's.

"Jane, relax, let Quinn handle it," Bob pushed her back down onto the bench. "You could have been killed."

"… 'm fine. Wha' happened?" Jane repeated, slurring her words slightly, letting Bob push her back onto the bench, her stomach pitching.

"A Guardian slammed his shield into your face," Bob said, her voice quiet. "Your medigel didn't do much for you… you're going to have one  _hell_  of a bruise, Gadget."

Jane closed her eyes, only to open them moments later when her stomach warned her with a dipping lurch. "Bob," she said desperately, pushing herself up, a hand clapped over her mouth.

Quickly, Bob handed Jane a barf bag just in time. With one hand, Bob pulled Jane's hair back, and rubbed her back with the other. Despite her misery, it was comforting having Bob there, her hand warm on Jane's back.

"Think 'm gonna pass out now," Jane whispered after spitting in the bag a few more times. She sank back down to the bench, Bob taking the barf bag from her with a grimace, and Jane let everything drift away.

* * *

When Jane woke up again, she was laying in her bunk. The lights were dimmed, and Jane knew instantly she was alone.

Slowly, she pushed herself up, wincing the whole way, and staggered over to a mirror.

"Fuck," she said flatly. The entire left side of her face was swollen and bruised, eye half-shut. There was a line of small stitches along her hairline, shiny with medigel.

"Hey, you're awake!" Bob walked into their quarters, a relieved look on her face. "How are you feeling?"

Sitting back down on the bunk, Jane looked up at Bob dolefully. "Everything hurts. I thought I got hit in the face, why does the rest of me hurt, too?"

Bob, grinning, sat down next to Jane. "He hit you hard. You went  _flying."_

"I've been doing that too often lately," Jane sighed.

"We're about 8 hours out from the Citadel," Bob went on. "You slept for a long time. Peters called ahead to check, and the Normandy is there on shore leave. Joker said that they'll stay in port until you get back, and the Normandy will be leaving as soon as you're back aboard. Another mission to get to, or something."

"Commander Shepard, you know," Jane shrugged and grinned faintly.

"Can I get you something? Water? Something to eat?" Bob asked, moving as if to get up.

"Will you stay with me for a while?" Jane said softly.

"Sure," Bob sat back, and leaned against the wall.

Jane lay back, tucking her feet under Bob's thigh.

"Got you trapped now," Bob teased. "Garrus Vakarian, huh?"

She groaned, and glared at her friend. "Bob…" she sighed. "I've got it pretty bad."

"Ha, I knew it, you're only close lipped about the people you really like," Bob patted Jane's knee. "Did you  _really_  fuck it up?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I kind of pushed him away. And didn't talk to him before I left the ship. I'm such a coward," she admitted quietly, meeting Bob's eyes through her lashes.

"Oh, Gadget," Bob said kindly, her dark eyes sympathetic. "Apologize. Don't waste time. There might not be much of it left."

Jane worried her lip between her teeth, nodding once, absently, before closing her eyes.

"You ok?" Bob squeezed Jane's knee gently.

"I think I'm going to sleep again," she let out a long breath. "Make sure I'm awake when we're an hour out?"

Bob nodded, and pushed off the bunk. "Sleep well, Jane."

* * *

Petrovsky was nowhere to be seen when Jane disembarked.

"Hackett was pleased with the results of our mission. He'll probably be calling on you to join us again," Quinn said quietly. "Take care of yourself."

Jane hugged him carefully, acutely aware of her injuries. "You, too, Quinn. Take care of Bob."

Quinn glanced over at the woman standing next to him. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Bob grabbed her in a tight hug, ignoring Jane's warning hiss when she brushed up against her bruises. "Next time you're on the Citadel, go see Jethro, k?"

Jane nodded, holding Bob in the hug a long beat before letting her go. "K." Their eyes locked for a long moment before Bob stepped back, squeezing Jane's hand tightly once more.

"Later, Jane," Quinn waved as she finally backed away.

Jane, kit under her right arm, made her way to Docking Bay D24 at a slower than normal pace. They'd arrived in the middle of the night cycle on the Citadel, Jane was hopeful that she wouldn't cross paths with anyone on her way to Life Support.

"Singer," Joker greeted as she walked out of decon. "Have fun?"

Jane turned around, and raised an eyebrow, pointing at her face. "Oh, yeah. It was a blast."

"Ouch," Joker said, wincing. "That's why I fly the ship. Something like that wouldn't just have  _killed_  me, it would have shattered me into an unrecognizable pulpy mass."

Jane grinned. "Knocked me out," she laughed. "But you know marines… We take a licking."

"And keep on ticking? That's terrible," Joker said dryly. "Leave the jokes to me."

Jane sent him a rude gesture before walking to the elevator.

" _Lieutenant, the commander has asked that you come and see him for a debrief,"_  EDI reported in the elevator.

"Can it wait until morning?" Jane sighed. "I just kind of want to climb into bed."

" _He is currently sleeping,"_  EDI furthered.  _"And he did not specify that you had to debrief with him as soon as you came aboard."_

"Thanks, EDI," Jane replied, walking into Life Support, relieved.

As soon as the doors closed, Jane stripped off her uniform, leaving it in a pile on the floor. She reached for the tank top and shorts she preferred sleeping in, and pulled them on carefully. Finally, Jane sank down to her cot with a relieved sigh.

"EDI? Can you dim the lights, please?" She requested. "Thirty percent."

" _Of course, Lieutenant,"_  EDI replied, bringing the lights AI paused briefly.  _"You have a visitor."_

The doors hissed open before Jane could reply, flooding Life Support with the bright light from the mess, before closing, leaving Jane blinded in the suddenly dim light.

"Jane?"

She let out a long breath, and pushed herself up, turning to greet Garrus. "Hey," she said quietly.

"I…" Garrus fell quiet, looking away. "I'm glad you're back."

Jane smiled widely without thought, then winced at the pain it caused. She turned away slightly, lifting her hand to her cheek automatically.

"I asked EDI to let me know when you got back," he continued awkwardly when she didn't reply. "Look, I was wondering…"

As her heart suddenly started thundering in her chest, Jane looked back at Garrus, and forced herself to calm her breathing. She looked down nervously. "Yes?"

"Are you ok?"

Jane looked up to meet his eyes, only to find the turian staring at her with a strange look on his face.

"You've been wondering if I'm ok?" Jane asked, her tone amused. Garrus's bearing had completely changed. Gone was his adorable, awkward manner. Instead, the turian before her was staring at her intensely, his bearing confident in a way that was incredibly hot.

"EDI, bring the lights up to 100%," Garrus suddenly snapped, his voice tense, subharmonics sounding dangerous. The lights in Life Support flared, causing Jane to wince and squint against the light.

"Damn it, Garrus," she complained, shielding her eyes against the light.

Garrus approached her slowly. "Jane, look at me."

Stubbornly, she turned her face away, looking at him through the corner of one eye, tracking his hand as it reached for her face. He took her chin gently, but firmly, and turned her face towards him. His eyes were unwavering on her face, bright blue eyes intense.

Under different circumstances, Jane's knees might have given out.

He made a soft noise of discontent when he saw the bruising on her face. "Do you need to see Chloe?"

Jane shook her head. "No," she said quietly. "It's fine."

Lifting one talon, with incredible tenderness, Garrus traced along the edges of the bruising. "What happened?"

"It was  _your_  fault," she muttered, her eyes drifting shut under his gentle ministrations.

His hand stilled, and her eyes reopened to meet his. The question in his eyes was clear.

"Apparently you and John and the Normandy have taught me how to be a part of a team, instead of going off on my own and acting like an irresponsible idiot," Jane muttered.

"I don't see why that's a bad thing, exactly," Garrus replied, resuming his gentle exploration of her injuries, carefully tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Never trusted anyone when they said they had my six before," she said quietly. "So when Zee said the labs were cleared…"

Understanding washed over his face, talons now gently tracing down her neck. "You left cover without clearing the room yourself."

"And got a Guardian's shield to the face in thanks," she raised an eyebrow, then winced. "Concussion. Fucking hurts. Knocked me out cold."

"You should get some rest," Garrus pulled his hands away from her, and backed away. "EDI, lights down, please."

"Wait, don't go," Jane reached out and grabbed his arm as the lights dimmed. "What were you wondering?"

"It can wait," he replied, taking her hand off his arm gently.

"I don't mind," Jane said, forcing down the disappointment she was feeling. He didn't even slow as he walked to her door. "I slept the whole way back to the Citadel, I can wait a few more minutes before going to bed."

"I'll talk to you later," Garrus paused in the entrance. "You should go see Chloe when you wake up."

"Sure, I'll go see her tomorrow," she stepped forward. "But, Garrus…"

"Goodnight, Jane," Garrus said firmly, and stepped out into the hall, doors hissing shut behind him.

Jane dropped down to her cot, more bothered than she ought to be. Settling herself down on the cot, Jane pulled a blanket over her body, and stared up at the ceiling.

"Wait," she gasped in realization. "When did he start calling her  _Chloe?"_

" _Shortly after Dr. Michel gave XO Vakarian a box of dextro-chocolates,"_  EDI replied helpfully.

"She  _gave_  him a box of dextro-chocolates?" Jane exclaimed incredulously, sitting up. "When the fuck did  _that_  happen?"

" _Shortly after you broke your leg on Eden Prime,"_ the AI explained.

"Well, hell," Jane muttered, lying back on the bed, completely dejected.

After tossing and turning for hours, she fell asleep to visions of Garrus and Chloe sitting together on a plaid blanket in the middle of Central Park, enjoying the dextro-chocolates together.

It was a shitty night's sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hey all! Just a quick note to let you know that John and Jane's back stories won't be consistently in sequence anymore - this flashback, for instance, takes place chronologically before Jane's flashback in the last story, but John's journey to the Alliance takes a bit longer than Jane's does. They'll catch up to each other over the next few chapters, and I'll try to remember to point out when they aren't in sequence any more! Also? A little bit (less) space magic for kartoFlane, I hope. :-)

Chapter 14

**2170**

_John walked into his room after a long workout in the ship's gym, and dumped his bag on the floor. The rooms were empty, thankfully. John knew his mother's schedule, and had become extremely good at avoiding her._

_He crossed to his terminal, and opened his messages. He skimmed them lightly, and then shook his head. A recruiting email from an OCT he was sure his mother had requested on his behalf, or something._

_The final email in the inbox caught John's eye. From his dad._

_John opened it._

* * *

From: Major Shepard, F.

To: Shepard, J.

Hey son,

Your mom tells me things are still stressed between the two of you. Her words were something to the effect of "he's turned into a ghost, I never see him." She worries about you, so just… let her know you're ok, ok?

Hell, kid, I worry about you, so send me a reply and let me know you're ok. Please?

You're reduced your dad to begging, John. It isn't a pretty sight.

Love,

Dad

_John shrugged, and deleted the message. He'd reply later in the week. Maybe._

_A new message popped into his inbox, and John's eyes widened. It was from the private investigator he'd hired in New York._

_He wasn't going to be able to keep paying him for much longer, so John hoped that the PI had found something._

_John's eyes widened as he read the contents of the message. The PI_ had _found something._

_A diner owner had made a phone call to the hospital administration the night Janey had gone missing. The Homeland security branch of the Alliance had been investigating the hospital for fraud, and all the administrative staff was under surveillance. This particular call hadn't been flagged as pertinent to the fraud, as the hospital hadn't been under investigation for losing a child._

_In the recorded call, the PI explained, the diner owner asked about a little boy named Johnnie Singer and his sister Jane. In the background of the conversation, you could hear the faint protests of a little girl._

_A known associate of that diner owner's, a prostitute named Patricia Legemones, had been known for taking in children off the street, and had in her possession two girls that were Jane's age. The diner owner – a woman who went by the name of Mama – was also long dead, but a fry cook at the diner recalled the young girl with red hair quite clearly._

_John's heart rate spiked when he read that, but fell instantly at the following line. The prostitute Patricia had been murdered while tricking, and the two girls in her care had gone missing after that. The trail was cold, and the amount the PI was requesting John pay was way more than he'd be able to afford any time soon._

_The information was enough for now, though._

_With a heavy heart, John wrote the PI back, thanking him for the information, and asking for the raw footage of the call to the hospital. He checked the time, and shut off his terminal._

_John lay back on his bed, and used his omnitool to turn off the lights in his room. In moments, he heard the front door to their rooms open. Right on time, as always. John closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep._

_And again, as always, Hannah opened his door, and stood just inside for several long moments._

_As always, John continued to pretend he was sleeping, until he realized that Hannah was making a strange sound. He opened his eyes, and saw that her hands were pressed to her face, and she was shaking violently._

" _Mom?" He asked, sitting up. "What's the matter?"_

" _Oh, John," Hannah sobbed, running to his side._

_As she neared, John saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Jeffries just got the call. Frank…" She shook her head violently, then took several long, deep breaths. "Your dad died this morning in a small skirmish in the Skyllian Verge against a troop of batarian soldiers. I just got word."_

_John stared at Hannah in shock. "That doesn't make any sense. He just sent me an email."_

" _I'm so sorry, kiddo," Hannah said softly. "Oh, god. Frank," she suddenly cried, and pulled John into her arms, sobbing into his shoulder._

_John forced down his first reaction to stiffen, and reluctantly hugged her back. After a moment, he relaxed into the hug, needing the comfort she was offering._

" _It'll be ok, Mom," he said quietly. "It'll be ok."_

* * *

_The Einstein docked at the Citadel to reclaim Frank's body and personal effects two weeks later._

_"John and Hannah didn't want a ceremony; they just wanted to send Frank off into the Serpent Nebula from the Einstein's cargo bay. They both believed Frank would prefer it that way._

_They'd sent the coffin into the nebula through the cargo bay doors as soon as the Einstein disengaged from the Citadel. Hackett, and the six marines he'd chosen personally to carry the casket to the shields set it free into space were the only people who attended other that John and Hannah._

_It was almost peaceful for John, watching the gleaming silver coffin drift into the pink of the Serpent Nebula. Memories of Frank ran through his mind. Of the man he looked up to. The one he wanted to model his life after._

_For all his anger and rage at his parents, Frank Shepard was still John's hero. Would always_ be _John's hero. His eyes filled with tears that never spilled over before he managed to get himself under control again._

_John had needed Captain Hackett to help him carry Hannah back to their rooms afterwards. She'd broken down and sobbed into John's chest when Frank's coffin finally faded from view, and no matter how much he'd tried to coax her, she wouldn't respond or move from the cargo bay._

_He'd never seen her look so fragile or broken as when they'd tucked her into her bed, deep in an emotionally exhausted sleep. John paused in Hannah's door for a moment, and watched her sleep in a strange parallel to his mother's habit of watching him pretend to sleep every time she came back from her shift._

_Her state instinctively made him want to protect her from harm, at war with the deep resentment he felt towards her._

_He shook himself slightly, and turned to see Hackett out._

" _Your father was a great man, John," Hackett said in parting. "And he was very proud of you."_

" _Thank you, sir," John replied quietly, his gut twisting with conflicting emotion._

 _He walked into his room, and saw a box of what he assumed were his father's things sitting on his desk. Glancing inside he saw several datapads, some books, and… John's jaw dropped. An Avenger line sniper rifle_!

_He pulled the sniper rifle out of the box and admired the firearm before him. There was a datapad attached to the rifle's trigger lock. John turned on the datapad, glancing down distractedly at the text on the screen. His eyes widened when he realized it a message from his father._

Son,

I think every soldier has a few of these stashed away. The "if I die, please make sure so-and-so gets this" message.

Well, this is mine for you.

This Avenger was the first rifle I was ever given. It isn't very much like the original – I've spent the last few years fine-tuning it for you. Whatever you decide to do when joining the Alliance, the Hahne-Kedar line is standard among soldiers. This one is a superior weapon with the modifications I've made to it, so you won't be forced to spend your first few years in the Alliance with a weapon that isn't as good as the one you've learned on.

I plan on giving this to you when you turn 18, if I survive until then. If not, then I will rest easier knowing that this weapon is the one you're using. It will serve you well. I promise.

Knowing that you'll only read this if I'm dead, I can be honest with you. We never talk about it, but you know as well as I do that the way you joined our family was… suspicious, to say the least. I'm ashamed to admit that at first, I thought it was a mistake. That's why I was so distant.

But I've watched you grow, watched you turn into this strong, intelligent, capable young man. One I am proud to call my son. And I believe that a father should be straight with his son. So I have to tell you the truth about your sister.

Your sister… she is a  _missing_  child, not necessarily a dead one. She was never found, because no one knew to look for her. The hospital kept her disappearance a secret from the police, and never filed a missing persons report. She just … completely slipped through the cracks.

Your mom doesn't want you to know anything about it. She feels so much guilt over the circumstances, and she can't see that you deserve the truth. Try to be gentle with her, John. She did it because she loves you so –

 _John threw the datapad across the room in rage. How_ dare _he write this message? How dare he make excuses for her? For what they did?_

_He glared in the direction of his mother's bedroom, then looked back at the Avenger sniper rifle he'd put on his desk when he'd started reading the message. John picked up the weapon, evaluating it. The blue cammo on the body was faded and graying, but the stock was polished and gleaming. It had been scrupulously cared for, modified and adapted._

_John could see where his father had upgraded the various components of the weapon. The scope was completely replaced, firing mechanism completely unlike Hahne-Kedar's stock model._

_It had to be worth something, John decided, putting the rifle back down on his desk. The scope alone was worth a few hundred credits. It would get him at least enough to pay for the private investigator to continue his search for Janey for another few months. At least._

_John slowly calmed himself, taking several deep breaths. What mattered now was finding Jane. Everything else was trivial._

**2186**

" _Commander."_

John's eyes snapped open to the stars zipping by overhead. "Yeah. EDI. What's wrong?"

" _Nothing is wrong, Commander, it is simply 0800,"_  EDI replied.  _"You requested I let you sleep until 0800, and to give you a status report when you awakened."_

John nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Right. Ok. Hit me."

" _Your sister boarded the ship at 0330, and as I accounted for the presence of the rest of the crew, per your orders, we readied the Normandy and began our journey to Utukku,"_  EDI reported.  _"We are scheduled to arrive in approximately 17 hours."_

"Thanks, EDI," John replied. "Where's Jane now?"

" _Your sister is currently sleeping,"_  EDI replied.  _"After XO Vakarian left her quarters, her biometric readings indicate that she lay awake until approximately thirty minutes ago."_

John's eyebrows raised. "Oh? Garrus went to go see her? What happened?"

" _Commander, you did insist I_ not _spy on the crew, especially in their quarters,"_  EDI chastised.

"Yeah, yeah, what happened?" John waved his hand. "Come on."

" _I am not telling you, Commander,"_  EDI replied archly.  _"The depth of Lieutenant Singer's current sleep indicates it is necessary, and I would recommend you leave her to it. Should you demand answers, XO Vakarian has not slept since he left her quarters, and is currently blowing off some … steam in the cargo bay."_

"There are two definitions for blowing off steam, EDI," John said dryly. "I hope he's sparring down there."

" _XO Vakarian is currently making good use of the punching bag,"_  EDI replied, and John  _swore_ he could hear the laugh in her voice.

"Tell him to stay put," John pushed himself out of bed, and quickly pulled on his sparring gear. It was time to kick Garrus's ass. And get the dirt about what happened between him and Jane.

The ride to the cargo bay flew by, and John arrived cheerful and ready to beat on Garrus. The turian was wailing on a punching bag across the cargo bay, shirtless.

John paused next to James, watching Garrus unleash another flurry of punches on the heavy bag. James, who had been servicing weapons in the armory, was watching him with unveiled interest.

"Something's really buggin' Scars," James observed, big arms crossed over his chest.

The commander glanced over at the young marine, and grinned. "Not so much a some _thing_  as a some _one_."

"No shit?" James laughed. "Who has him riled up like that?"

"Singer," John replied.

"No shit, Lola's got him tied up like this?" James snickered. "I never woulda seen that one coming."

"Lola?" John asked, amused.

"Yeah, you know," James shrugged. "Some people just don't fit their names," he explained. "So I give 'em new ones. Like you, Loco."

John grinned. "I like Loco."

"You should," James laughed again. "The name fits better than  _Commander_ , or  _Shepard_ , or  _John."_  He shrugged. "You're pretty crazy, Loco. If the shoe fits…"

John waved at James and walked towards Garrus.

"What's bugging you, Garrus?" John asked seriously when he was close enough.

Garrus froze, and glanced over his shoulder. "Your…  _Lieutenant Singer_  is going to drive me… She's… I'm…" His head drooped, and his wrapped hands lifted to steady the punching bag. Garrus's forehead dropped to the vinyl surface, and he heaved a sigh.

John stifled the laugh that tried to bubble out of him, and patted the turian on the shoulder. "It'll be ok, Garrus," he finally managed. "Really. Spar with me, and tell me what happened."

Garrus spun away from the punching bag, and ducked into a fighting stance with frightening speed. "Sure, Shepard," his gaze was instantly cold, avian and predatory. John had no trouble envisioning turians as the top predators of their planet. "I'd love to spar."

"You have to  _talk_  to me, too, Garrus," John snapped. "Those are the terms."

Garrus let out an annoyed huff, rolling his bright blue eyes, but finally nodding. "Fine."

John raised his fists and readied himself. Garrus's first punch was easy to avoid, and he danced back. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Garrus snarled. John jabbed forwards once, twice – Garrus moved his head out of the way at the very last second for each – and waited. "I went in there, she had … a bruise," he sighed, and shrugged, then dodged John's kick, and stepped back. "Look. Do you want me to talk to you or fight you?"

"You can't do both?"

"Don't really want to right now, Shepard, if it's all the same to you," Garrus admitted, crossing his arms.

"Let's grab breakfast, eat in the loft," John suggested.

Garrus nodded, and followed John to the elevator. They were silent as they exited the elevator and strode into the mess.

They both saw her at the same moment. Jane's back was to them, and she was slumped over the table, face inches above a coffee mug. She'd only see them if she turned around, John was sure. She was sitting across from Liara, who was animatedly discussing something, pointing excitedly at a datapad that lay between the two of them.

John glanced at Garrus, and shrugged.

The two made their way into the kitchen, grabbing food. John helped himself to a large mug of coffee, and finished filling it with sweetner and cream before heading back to the elevator.

Jane's back was still to them, but Liara was staring at them with a glare that was partly accusatory, and partly curious.

"Let's go," John encouraged, and the two fled the area. As they piled into the elevator, John sighed. "Did we just run away from her?"

Garrus nodded, looking sheepish. "Spirits, I'm so  _frustrated_ ," he growled, talons tightening on his dishes.

John was quiet as the elevator arrived in the loft, and he led them towards to couch. They sat, and John relaxed back, holding his coffee under his nose.

"I pretty much ran away last night, too," Garrus admitted quietly, looking deeply into his dish of bright purple noodle-looking things. "I could tell she… I didn't think she'd turn me away, you know?" Garrus looked at him sideways, checking John's reaction. John gestured for Garrus to continue. "Instead of saying all the things I'd planned on saying as soon as she got back just disappeared from my head, and I told her to get some rest, and that I'd see her tomorrow, and left her standing in the middle of Life Support."

"Coward," John accused, then laughed at himself. "Pot, meet kettle."

Garrus gave him a confused look. "All I could think about all night was the asshole who hurt her, and how much I wanted to  _kill_  him."

"She's ok, though?" John asked, eyebrows raised, forcing down his concern when Garrus shrugged.

"She didn't need to go see Chloe, she said," Garrus replied. "It looked pretty bad, if I know anything about human injuries. But she said she was fine."

"Did she say what happened?"

Garrus gave John a long, even stare. "If you want to know what happened on her mission you're going to have to talk to her," he reprimanded John quietly. John felt a moment of shame.

He rolled his eyes, and shrugged. "Whatever. I have a more important question for you, anyways."

Garrus looked at John, his head cocked to the side, indicating he was paying attention.

"Who should we bring with us to Utukku? I was thinking about James, but the two of you boast so goddamned much, it drives me fucking nuts," John complained. "Liara stinks underground – all she wants is to look for evidence of ancient races."

Garrus snorted. "You should know who I think already, Shepard."

"Stop playing favorites," John rolled his eyes, and grabbed a piece of reconstituted bacon off his plate. "Maybe we could give Javik another try?"

"Not a chance in hell, Shepard. Thanks, though," Garrus shook his head. "Ok. Would you like to bring EDI? If we do go up against rachni, her incinerate would probably take out those little creepy rachni crawly things from Noveria, don't you think? From your report, they sounded fragile, but overwhelming in large numbers. We'll need someone with a good area attack. Crowd control."

John nodded slowly. "Yeah, maybe. Wish we had Jack," he mused. "Her shockwave would be useful against those little fuckers."

"We  _do_  have the next best thing to Jack's shockwave," Garrus mused, putting a forkful of what looked like bright purple noodles in his mouth.

"Jane would be useful," he continued. "Her tactical cloak would provide us a clear advantage, and we  _know_  her electric slash is useful when it comes to crowd control, especially for weaker enemies."

"I know, but I haven't really been giving the other members of the ground squad a chance," John sighed.

"Then bring three of us with you," Garrus suggested. "James, Jane and me. You don't have to stick to convention."

John pondered the idea, nodding. "Yeah. Besides, Janey'd never forgive me if I didn't take her with me to kill rachni."

"I'd never forgive you if you didn't bring me along, either," Garrus informed John. "Not after you left me behind on Noveria."

"Come on, Garrus, it just made sense," John protested. "In hind sight, do I wish I'd brought you? Sure. But  _you_  were the one who reminded me I should probably bring Liara. I was perfectly content to bring you along through to the very end of that mission – just like every mission before and after it."

"And only now you're worrying about playing favorites with your ground squad?" Garrus joked lightly before his countenance turned severe. "Seriously, though. You're bringing me this time. Or Wrex will never let me live it down."

"James and Jane, huh?" John pondered, sipping his coffee idly, then pushed himself to standing. "I think they'd add a lot to the team."

"And me," Garrus stressed seriously. "Shepard. You can't leave me behind again. Come on. Shepard?"

John wandered away, coffee in hand. "Doubling up on frag grenades would be pretty damned useful, too."

"Shepard? Come on. Don't fuck with me, you're taking me to Utukku. Shepard?  _Shepard?_ "

* * *

Jane was silent, wearing her full armor including her recon hood, sitting in the second seat in the cockpit next to Cortez. As always, she was waiting for them when James, John and Garrus boarded the shuttle, but unlike always, she didn't greet them as they boarded, instead maintained a chilly silence.

John rolled his eyes at her back, shrugging it off even though her actions pissed him off. As long as she followed orders and killed what he told her to, John didn't care if she was quiet and bitchy.

As they left the Normandy's sheltered cargo bay, John watched Jane from the back of the shuttle. He could only see part of her shielded face – the curve of that damned recon hood.

James and Garrus were chatting amiably, comparing weapons and telling tales. As they tried to one-up the other, John steeled himself with resolve and marched into the cockpit.

Jane's hooded head turned swiftly towards her brother, then back to the view screens in front of her again. "I didn't forget to come debrief, but I did forget to tell you I got too busy before the mission to come see you," she explained without prompting, her tone carefully neutral. "I figured if it was important you would have asked me to come see you after breakfast this morning. When you grabbed food and went up to the Loft right away, I didn't think it was a big deal."

John winced. "Garrus and EDI told me you were back and ok. I believed them. How's the bruise?"

Slowly, Jane pulled the hood off, and turned her head slightly to the side. John whistled. The bruise covered her jaw and part of her cheek, her left eye puffy.

"Really did a number on you, huh?" John said, wincing in sympathy.

"Shit, Singer, what happened?" Cortez exclaimed, glancing over.

"It's fine," Jane muttered. "I got careless. It looks worse than it feels, anyways." She pulled the hood back on over her head, and slumped down in her chair.

"Still hurt?"

She shook her head. "No. Dr. Michel gave me some topical stuff, and I don't even feel it. She cleared me, anyways."

"I know," he informed her. "I asked her. So. You ready to take on some rachni, Janey?" John asked.

Jane jolted and craned in her seat to look at him, pulling the hood off again. "Wait, what?" Her eyes were wide, and she looked excited.

"You heard me," John replied. "Real, live rachni. At least, we're pretty sure that's what we're going to find. I'd be surprised if we  _didn't_  find rachni, I guess."

Jane stared at him silently for a long moment. "How are you so nonchalant about  _rachni?"_

"Remember how I told you about the rachni on Noveria?" John replied. "Old hat now."

"Yeah, I remember," Jane replied faintly. "One of these days all the shocks that come along with being part of the Normandy's crew are going to be too much for me to process and I'm going to have a breakdown."

"We're all mad here, Janey," John said fondly. "You'll fit right in, then."

* * *

John felt his uneasiness grow as they left Aralakh company behind. The sunlight was fading faster than he expected as he, James, Garrus and Jane made their way deeper into the cave where the krogan team had gone missing.

"Shepard, there's something up ahead," James observed. "Hard to see down here."

"I see it," John replied, and jogged forward. It was the body of a krogan scout. "Hey, Grunt," he activated his comm. "Found the body of a scout here. Been dead a few days."

" _Yeah? If he has his weapon, grab it,"_  Grunt said shortly. _"He won't need it anymore."_

"Jesus, is that  _webbing?"_  Jane gasped, her tone disgusted. She was standing in front of a thick wall of black, sticky webbing that was blocking their way ahead.

"Looks like it," John hefted the krogan scout's weapon, examined the fuel bottle attached to it and literally opened fire on the webbing. A ball of fire bubbled out of the gun, and burned up the webbing blocking their way.

"Awesome," John chortled in amusement.

"We should stay close down here," Garrus said quietly. "It's easy to get separated."

"Agreed," John replied, clicking on the flashlight mounted on his assault rifle. "Everyone be ready," he warned quietly as he led the squad deeper into the caves.

The sunlight was now completely gone from view, but John's eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly.  _Thank god for Cerberus upgrades,_  John thought to himself.

Jane shrieked, causing John to jump in surprise. It was high-pitched, purely reactionary, and deeply disgusted.

"What?" John snapped, turning to face her. He couldn't see her face under her recon hood, but her body language was screaming discomfort.

"Sorry!" She gasped. "I'm sorry. I was just startled. There are… alien cave spiders," she shuddered delicately, then aimed her flashlight into a dark corner.

John stared at her for a long moment. "Alien cave spiders?"

"Yeah." Her tone was defensive as she turned back to look at him. "What do  _you_  want to call them?"

"Dios," James breathed, drawing John's attention away from his sister.

The heavily muscled marine had wandered away from the siblings, deeper into the cave, and was shining the flashlight mounted on his assault rifle at a field of grey pods sitting in swirling mist. "What the hell are those _?"_

"What? What the hell is  _what?"_  Jane snapped, spinning on her heel to look at James, then twisting to look down the back of her legs, before brushing her hands up and down her arms reflexively.

"Relax, Jane," John said quietly. "I won't let the alien cave spiders get you."

"Fuck you," she muttered quietly.

"They're some kind of pod," Garrus wasn't paying attention to Jane's antics, stepping closer to one of the strange pods and leaning down. Suddenly, the pod swelled and exploded, showering the turian with gore.

"Euch," Garrus muttered quietly, looking down at the slime being held at bay by his shields. Shields that were fizzing, popping and sparking.

"That shit's eating through your shields, bro," James informed the turian.

Garrus sent the young marine a glare. "Thank you for letting me know. Would you like to wipe it off for me?"

James laughed.

"You lot are like teenagers," John sighed. "Keep a healthy distance from the pods."

"Let me try," Jane pulled out her sword, and fired up a program on her omnitool. "Just let me widen the wave," she murmured, typing quickly into the orange interface keyboard.

"Widen the wave?" James teased. "Sounds like a tantric move."

"It's a cascading shockwave of electrical energy," Jane explained absently. "Like a biotic shockwave – "

"A HA! You admit that it's like a biotic shockwave, then! So why won't you call it an electric shockwave?" John exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips.

"Because biotics don't use a sword to release the energy," Jane muttered. "If I tried to release it with my hands, I would suffer third degree electrical burns. And, you know, I programmed it myself, wired up my sword and suit to have the appropriate voltage… The N7 Demolitionist on my team helped me upgrade the slash, so now I can switch between a slash that can jump through walls – less effectively, though – or widen the area of effect…" Jane trailed off in concentration. After a few moments, Jane straightened, and swung her sword to the right, looped back over her right shoulder, then over her head. As soon as the sword moved in front of her face, the energy was released right into the middle of the spore pods.

Wave after cascading wave of electrical energy danced over the pods. It didn't look to have had an effect, until suddenly all the pods swelled up and started bursting.

"That's disgusting," Jane said decisively, before moving through the field of gore.

"Why do you need the choreography?"

"Momentum," Jane replied. "It throws the wave in the right direction. Sometimes I misfire, though."

"You make it look like space magic," James snickered. "Doesn't look like it should work."

"That goo still eating away at your shields, Garrus?" John asked, burning away some more webbing..

"No," Garrus's omnitool activated and he passed it over his arm. "Looks like it loses its toxicity and causticity after it has been exposed to the atmosphere for a while. Now it's just drying on my armor," Garrus replied, using a talon to pick at the some of the goo now hardening on his hardsuit as they moved deeper into the caves. "Stinks, though."

"Holy shit. Reaper tech," Jane breathed, standing before a seemingly never-ending field of spore pods. This cluster was clearly sitting on masses of thick, silvery wiring. "Look at those wires."

"Maybe," John reluctantly agreed, wishing she was wrong.

Rachni he could handle. Reapers, no problem. But rachni pumped full of reaper tech? It just didn't seem fair. Brutes were bad enough.

Jane took care of the spore pods as John continued clearing the webbing out of their way.

"Huh," Garrus clicked off his flashlight before clicking it on again. "The water and walls are glowing."

"Press on, people," John ordered, burning away yet more webbing covering a short ledge. Jane and Garrus jumped down first. From above, John watched them both turn amusingly towards a faint sound, Garrus dropping down to one knee and pulling his Indra seamlessly up to his eye, Jane's sword suddenly crackling with energy.

"Rachni!" Garrus shouted. "Two o'clock."

"Finally," John breathed, grinning, as he watched the rachni brood warrior climb down a cliff face. Then his eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary brood warrior.

The rachni warrior looked different from the ones he remembered from Noveria. These ones had swollen pouches instead of narrow body segments, and what appeared to be –

James grunted as he was struck in the chest with a shot from the weapons affixed to the rachni. Yes. Definitely heavy weaponry growing out of their carapace.

"Grunt, we got company," John shouted into his comm, running into cover.

" _Light 'em up, Shepard!"_  Grunt shouted through the comms.

"James, on my three, Garrus, my six, Jane take my nine," John snapped. "Jane, I want you to prioritize those rachni workers, Garrus, you and I are going to take out that brood warrior, James, keep your energy on those husks."

"Got it, Commander," James shouted, throwing a frag grenade into a mass of husks. They exploded in a shower of black blood, and James howled with laughter. "Always wondered what they looked like when they blew up!"

John fell back to Garrus, pulling out his Black Widow.

"Let's take care of this asshole," John muttered to Garrus, and started trading off shots with the turian sniper.

After several minutes of hammering on the brood warrior to little effect, John looked at Garrus and rolled his eyes. "Tougher than the brood warriors I remember."

"I'm getting swarmed!" Jane yelled. "Turning on my tactical cloak and repositioning!"

She disappeared under her cloak, and released an electric slash into the cluster of the swarming workers. They dissolved under Jane's attack and she relocated, not even a ripple marking her path.

Then a single, panicked gasp flooded their comms.

" _Jane!"_  Garrus and John both called at the same time, neither losing the accuracy or the timing of their shots. The rachni brood warrior stumbled, the second pouch of swarmers breaking open in a disgusting burst of green ooze.

"Vega," John snapped. "Can you get to her? Fuck, where is she?"

The Indra's quieter, faster shots peppered the air between the deep, hollow boom of John's Black Widow.

"She's _fine,"_ Jane snarled over the comms.  _"Take that, you motherfucker!'_

With a final shot from John's rifle, the brood warrior dissolved into a ravaged pile of ooze and reaper tech.

"Clear," he stated.

"Clear," Garrus repeated back.

" _Clear,"_  James chirped back.

" _Almost clear,"_  Jane grunted.

"There," Garrus pointed, then jumped down from their vantage point, heading towards Jane. John set his sights on his sister, across the large open cave.

She'd been buried under a pile of husks, he could see. Husks who were now mostly scattered around her in pools of black, glistening blood. The only one left alive was soon impaled on Jane's sword, legs and arms twitching as its black blood poured over her hands and arms.

" _Ha. Clear,"_  she finally snarled.

"Take five, people," John announced into the comms the moment he knew Jane was safe. Holstering his rifle, John looked around for the Firestorm weapon that he'd discarded at the beginning of battle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he was Garrus reaching Jane's side seconds later, but his words were lost to John. The turian must have turned off his comm, John determined. Secretive bastard.

John spotted the bright yellow weapon several feet away.

James wandered over to the commander, and pointed his chin at the couple.

"So, that's really happening, huh?"

Garrus was pulling impatiently at Jane's hood. Finally, she whipped it off, irritation evident in her every move. He gently took her head in his hands, and turned her face to the light before taking her hands and removing her gloves. He examined her hands for a long moment, then took some medigel out of his own suit, spreading some onto the back of her hand.

John looked back at James, distracted. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Lola and Scars?"

He laughed. "Yeah."

James shrugged. "I'm unobservant. I kind of thought you were shitting me this morning."

"You weren't interested in her, were you?"

James laughed. "In Lola? Naw. Well. Not  _seriously_  anyways _._  She's a good looking woman though, so can't deny I've looked once or twice," the muscular man laughed again, and checked the break of his shotgun. "Romance ain't for me, Commander. Least not now. I'm keeping my eye on the prize."

"The prize being… ?"

"My own command, my own crew," James nodded, and gestured the butt of his gun towards Jane and Garrus. "That's nice for them, but when I'm with a woman? I want to be  _all_  in. I don't have the attention span to be saving the galaxy and kicking ass in a relationship."

John struggled – and failed – to keep a straight face. "I see, James," he observed.

"Doesn't mean I don't chase some tail now and again," James grinned at John, and nudged him in the ribs. "But Lola? She's a relationship girl. You don't just roll around in the sack with that one. You make a commitment."

"What makes you say that?" John asked, narrowing his eyes at the young marine.

James, completely unaware of his commander's intense focus, went back to looking inside the break of his weapon. "She comes from a rough background. She's had a rough life. Shit's gone wrong for that one. She doesn't deserve some asshole who just wants to sleep around."

John turned to watch Garrus and Jane. Jane no longer looked annoyed, instead she was… glowing, John realized. He'd never seen her look so radiant.

Jane looked  _happy_ ,John realized, and was suddenly struck by how rarely he saw that look on her face.

"Vakarian's that guy," James continued. "That loyal, dedicated guy. You know? He won't screw her around."

"You're more observant than you think," John replied quietly, and activated his comm. "Ok. Let's go, people."

Jane jumped away from Garrus, yanking the hood over her head stiffly, before yanking her gloves back on her hands while walking away from Garrus quickly. Garrus followed closely, the look on his face absurdly self-satisfied.

"This way," John ordered, leading the way. He spotted a Firestorm weapon on the body of another dead krogan, and ditched the old one for the new. This one's fuel cells were full. He nodded to the krogan who lay dead at his feet in mute thanks, and moved along.

John headed up a ramp, and was greeted with another field of spore pods. "Well, at least we know we're headed in the right direction. Jane? Would you mind taking care of this, please?"

Jane unsheathed her sword. "As always," she said grimly. "It is my pleasure, commander dear."

As she went through her elaborate swinging motion, Garrus snorted, the second half of his snort covered up by the  _whomp whomp whomp_  of Jane's electric slash.

"It is terrifying that the rachni have been targeted by the reapers," Jane observed as she looked down at the mess of reaper tech and rachni guts.

"Can you imagine what a queen reaper would be like?" John laughed. "Those things are huge."

"Wouldn't know," Garrus replied, his tone annoyed. "Remember how you didn't take me to Noveria the last time?"

"Give it up, Vakarian," John raised his eyebrows at him.

"Just tell me that if you went back, you'd make a different choice," Garrus pushed.

Jane was kneeling in front of the gore, her omnitool fired up. "They are literally giant bugs. Caustic, though. The stone is smoking."

"Yeah, they're ravagers, alright," John replied.

"Ravagers, huh? Looks like you might have the gift of nicknaming, too, Commanders," James looked at the carcass of the brood warrior and raised his eyebrows. "We got brutes, husks, cannibals and marauders… why not add a ravager to the mix?"

"Works for me," John answered, shrugging. "EDI? Update our logs. Rachni brood warriors infected with reaper tech are now to be referred to as ravagers."

" _Understood, Commander,"_  EDI replied.  _"What would you like to call the rachni workers infected by reaper tech?"_

"Swarmers," Jane shuddered, and straightened. "Can we move on? The smell is making me sick."

"Sure thing, Janey," John laughed. "EDI, update the logs. Rachni workers infected with reaper tech are to be called swarmers."

" _Understood, Commander."_

"Janey?" James howled with laughter. "She's nothing like a Janey!"

John and Jane both glared at James, who laughed on unaware.

John rolled his eyes and activated his comm. "Grunt, rachni presence confirmed. Modified and very dangerous."

" _Finally! Something to kill,"_  Grunt snarled.

The team made its way further into the caves, John leading the way, Garrus covering their six.

"Whoa," Jane breathed. "Barrier ahead. Looks like reaper tech."

John looked at the barrier for a moment, then saw a faint purple glow out of the corner of his eye. "Ha," John snarled, his pilfered weapon spewing a fireball out of its muzzle, and John watched the webbing burn away to reveal a barrier generator.

Two shots from Jane's Paladin took care of the generator, and the barrier opened silently, revealing another layer of webbing. John, noticing another dead krogan with a fully charged weapon nearby, grabbed the firestorm, and carelessly shot more fire into the webbing.

As the webbing burned away and the team stepped through, an ominous rumbling sounded through the cavern, then a sharp cracking sound. John looked up and saw rapidly growing cracks in the ceiling.

"Look out," Garrus yelled, grabbing Jane around the waist and running hard, deeper into the caves. John, adrenaline spiking in his veins, rolled forward, dodging the cave-in as their surroundings disappeared from view, flashlights blinking off.

"Shit!" James cried out.

"Is anyone injured?" John asked, turning on his flashlight, and shining it on James first, then Garrus and Jane.

"Nothing worse than usual," Garrus replied, clicking on his flashlight.

"All good, Commander," James replied.

John walked over to the cave-in. "Looks like we're finding another way out of here," he said dryly. "Come on," John turned to the tunnel in front of him, and burned away the webbing he found at the bottom of the tunnel.

" _What was that noise, Shepard? Sounded bad."_

"Cave-in," John replied to Grunt. "We're all alright."

" _Good. Didn't want to have to dig you out,"_  Grunt laughed cheerfully.

"That hurts my feelings, Grunt," John said, amused.

" _Yeah, yeah,"_  Grunt muttered, signing off.

"I love krogan," Jane said fondly. "They're so unabashedly and cheerfully violent."

"I prefer violently cheerful. Let's find the central chamber," John ordered, and gestured his squad along.

It wasn't long before Jane and James were in the thick of battle against reaper forces, and John and Garrus fell back to support them with their rifles again.

" _Shit, Lola, you're a fucking bad-ass, you know that?"_

" _Remember what I told you about you and my ass, Vega."_

" _Hey, I know it belongs to Scars back there."_

John tuned out the mid-fight banter, tag-teaming ravagers with Garrus.

"James isn't…"

"Into Jane?" John replied absently, before picking off a husk that got too close to James. "Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Garrus. Reapers. Kill them."

"Right, yeah," Garrus said, sounding worried. "Reapers. Killing them. Got it."

" _Will one of you hotshots take out that barrier generator?"_  Jane yelled into the comms, sounding irritated.  _"They're strong – "_  she grunted  _" – and I'm getting tired."_

"You ok, Janey?"

" _Just take out the stupid generator,"_  she replied.

Garrus killed it in a single shot, then went back to taking out the ravagers.

Once the barrier generator was down, taking out the reaper forces was relatively easy. Jane sliced through the remaining husks with ease while John and Garrus worked together to finish off the ravager. James punched the last cannibal into a pulpy mess, then hooted.

"That's livin'!" He crowed. "Hoo boy!"

John crossed the cave to Jane's side, took her arm forcefully, pulling her hood off with his other hand. "What the hell, Jane, are you ok?"

She glared at him for a moment, and jerked her arm out of his grip. "Stop treating me like I'm glass. Freaking out every time I hiccup. God, you're worse than Garrus."

"You said you were tired – "

"I  _am_  tired, John," Jane explained heatedly. "Barriers. Lots, and lots of barriers. And they were regenerated every two fucking seconds. I'm hammering away at six fucking husks at once, and I can hardly _do_  anything to them because every time I manage to wear down their shields, they move back into the barrier generator's reach, their fucking barriers would come back  _up,_ brand spanki' new and I'd be back where I started _."_

"So why the hell didn't you ask for help sooner?"

"I did,  _Commander,"_  Jane snarled. "But you and Garrus seemed to be studiously ignoring everything James and I were saying, so my request took a while to get through to you."

He blinked at her. "Shit, Janey. I'm sorry, I didn't … "

"It's fine," she said, still annoyed. "Let's go."

Helpless, John could only lead the way.

* * *

As the squad exited the caves, Jane was flagging, John could see. Exhaustion flavored her every move.

But she was alive, at least. And so was the rachni queen.

John glanced back at the cave mouth, and waited.

"Shepard, the shuttle is – "

"We're waiting for Grunt," John snapped.

"Shepard, come on," Garrus coaxed the commander. "For all that he was the perfect krogan, even Grunt couldn't have survived that many ravagers."

"We're waiting," he repeated in a tone that brokered no argument.

Moments later Jane was by his side.

"We're waiting," John informed her tersely.

"I know, John," Jane said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "Don't worry. We won't go until he gets back."

He glanced down at her – she'd taken off her hood, showing the dark bruise-like shadows under her eyes. She was looking forward, towards the mouth of the cave, her expression… expectant.

He felt a rush of affection and gratitude towards her.

"John," Jane's face broke out into a huge smile. "Look."

John turned back towards the cave mouth, his own face breaking out into a wide grin. "Grunt!" He ran towards the krogan, catching him as his legs collapsed and Grunt pitched forwards.

"Anyone… got something to eat?" Grunt laughed, sounding almost drunk.

"Come on, big guy," John laughed fondly. "Let's get you back to the ship so Mordin can patch you up."

"My small lizard friend?" Grunt yelled, excited. "The salarian! I miss my small lizard friend!"

The ride back to the Normandy was loud. Grunt, caught in the midst of his bloodrage, was yelling and slamming his fists down on the decking of the Kodiak.

Jane retreated to the cockpit, one hand pressed weakly to her temple. Garrus's visor was audibly pounding tinny music. James, being James, was egging Grunt on, and having fun with the cheerful, dopey krogan.

Shepard moved to the cockpit, closing the door behind him.

"Jane, we have to talk," he said baldly. "And it's just gonna have to be in front of Cortez. Sorry."

Jane glanced back at him, wincing slightly at the pounding sounds from the rear. "Ok."

"Are you still pissed at me?"

Her stare was long and hard, and John had to fight not to fidget under her hard glare. After a few long moments, Jane's face softened, and she shook her head. Grunt started yelling  _I AM KROGAN!_  repeatedly, and John almost missed her quiet reply.

"I must have gotten over it. Can you handle that?"

John nodded, overcome with sudden relief. "I can handle that."

She nodded again. "Ok, then."

He laughed quietly. "That's it?"

"That's it," she answered, shrugging, turning back around.

John, bemused, opened the cockpit door and wandered back, closing the door behind him. He patted Grunt fondly on the head as he walked by to sit on a bench across from Garrus. The turian gave the cockpit a rather significant look, and cocked his head to the side in an obvious question.

"She forgave me," John replied, shrugging his shoulders and making a face. "No idea why she was mad in the first place, but she forgave me anyways."

"That bodes well for you," James said to Garrus said in a cheerful tone. "She wasn't exactly pushing you away in the caves."

The turian's mandibles fluttered in a way that was obviously pleased, followed by a wince as Grunt started singing a krogan drinking song.

Mordin was waiting for the shuttle when it flew through the cargo bay doors. He was hopping eagerly from foot to foot, a wide grin on his face when John opened the Kodiak's doors.

"Young Grunt," the salarian greeted, crossing swiftly to Grunt's side. Swiftly, Mordin injected something through the krogan's tough hide using a giant needle. "Good to see you again."

He let out a loud howl of pain, but seconds later, Grunt's pupil's dilated, and he grinned happily.

"Lizard!" He chortled, reaching for Mordin's glowing omnitool. "My small lizard friend! Heh heh heh."

"Not a toy, Grunt," Mordin said absently, lifting his omnitool out of Grunt's reach.

A figure appeared in the Kodiak's doors.

"Ah, good, Dr. T'soni," Mordin nodded his head as Liara stepped into the shuttle. "Need biotics to life Grunt down to medbay."

"I see," she nodded. "Of course."

Jane stepped out of the cockpit, and stepped around everyone. "May I be dismissed?" She asked John, who nodded, and gestured for James to depart as well.

"Wait!" Mordin lectured John. "Need help carrying Grunt, do not dismiss everyone. You, and you," Mordin pointed at Cortez, then Garrus. "Stabilize."

"I could probably get him there myself, you know," John offered.

"Not with drugs just administered," Mordin shook his head, then gestured at James and Cortez. "Lift!"

"Lizard! My friend!" Grunt boomed, laughing heartily, and reached for Mordin's omnitool again.

"Stop that," Mordin snapped. "Bad krogan."

Grunt frowned, growling menacingly.

"Stop  _that,"_  Mordin chastised again.

"Grunt," John said warningly.

"Fine," he grunted petulantly, laying back on the stretcher. Then he grinned up at Mordin. "Will small lizard friend sing?"

Mordin paused, and glanced down at Grunt. He kneeled down next to the krogan. "Yes, Grunt, once in medbay."

"I don't like salarians," Grunt said loopily. "But I like you!"

"Yes, yes, like you also. Now, lift!" Mordin instructed Liara, James and Cortez, and led the way to the elevator.

* * *

Wrex was sitting in the mess, picking at a massive pile of food that looked singularly unappetizing to John. The big krogan looked unhappy, so John changed his destination and headed into the mess instead of into the Main Battery.

"Something on your mind, Wrex?" John asked, sliding into the seat in front of him.

Wrex grunted and jerked his chin towards the medbay. "The young one in there? He's the best of us. And he almost sacrificed himself to save  _rachni."_  Wrex spat on the floor in disgust. "Shepard… Don't make him do that again."

"First? Saving the rachni queen was the right thing to do, Wrex," John shrugged. "Kind of like… oh, I don't know… how I'm fighting to cure the fucking Genophage because it's the right thing to do. Even though it hasn't really gotten a warm reception. And second, you're going to wipe that up."

Wrex growled quietly.

"My ship, my rules, Urdnot," John hardened his gaze slightly. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Why do you have to bring right and wrong into it? Just don't sacrifice my best soldier to a giant space bug. Got it?" Wrex grumbled as he picked up a napkin and wiped his spit off the floor.

John regarded Wrex calmly for a long moment, waving to Cortez as the shuttle pilot crossed the mess towards the coffee pot.

"Can I get you a cup of coffee, Commander?" Cortez offered from the kitchen.

"Thanks, Cortez, that'd be great," John replied. "And Wrex, I'll have you know that those giant space bugs are helping to build the Crucible," John informed Wrex. "Saving them wasn't just the right thing to do, it was the right tactical decision to make."

"Bugs are meant to be squashed," Wrex muttered.

"Save it for the ones infected with reaper tech, at least," John rolled his eyes.

Cortez walked across the mess, two mugs in his hands. He handed John one, and took a seat next to the krogan warlord. "Wrex," he greeted the krogan next to him. "How are things going with Eve?"

Wrex started growling again, and pushed back from the table. With a snarl, Wrex stalked away.

"Was it something I said?" Cortez asked, alarmed.

"No, he just got scared," John answered, before taking a sip of the coffee. As the coffee hit his tongue, his eyes widened in surprise. It was exactly the way he liked it, and better than he'd ever made his own. "Thanks, Cortez. This is really good."

"No problem," Cortez replied. "I noticed the other day you take it the same way my husband did. It's kind of soothing to make his coffee." He froze, and gave John a sideways look. "I hope that's not creepy, or anything."

John laughed. "Little bit, but I don't mind when the coffee is this good." He pushed back from the table. "Excuse me, I'm off to go see a coward. Thanks for the coffee," John said, and walked towards the battery, coffee in hand.

"See ya, Commander," Cortez called.

The doors to the battery opened to reveal Garrus, hunched over the control panel. The turian was muttering quietly to himself, tapping his talons rhythmically on the console.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" John asked flatly.

Garrus looked back at John, his expression sheepish. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Get the fuck out of the Battery, you coward, and get your ass to Life Support," John said, his tone dangerous. "Or wherever the hell Jane is." He took a sip of his coffee. "Damn, this is good."

" _Lieutenant Singer is currently in the Starboard Observation Lounge with Lieutenant Vega,"_ EDI supplied helpfully.

"EDI, order James to meet me in the Cargo Bay when Garrus gets to the Lounge doors," John ordered, taking Garrus by the shoulders with one hand, and forced him out of the Battery.

"Shepard, I'm not sure that this is – "

"Shut it," John snapped, propelling him further down the walkway.

Cortez was still sitting in the mess, now with Liara. The two watched John and Garrus with interest.

"What do you think is going on?" Cortez asked.

"I've given up on asking on this ship," Liara replied, her tone amused.

He gave Garrus one final push towards the Starboard Observation Lounge. Garrus spun instantly, but John merely crossed his arms.

"I really liked working with Jane and James. Maybe it's a good idea to leave you behind on the ship when I'm not aboard," John mused quietly, almost to himself. "You know, just in case something happens to me, someone competent to lead will be left behind. So that I know that the Normandy and her crew are taken care of."

Garrus's mandibles flared in surprise, then he scowled deeply.

"Just sayin'," John shrugged innocently. "I'm going to head down to the cargo hold to wait for James. You decide what you want to do."

He left the turian standing, stunned, in front of the ladies' washroom, and stepped into the elevator.

" _Well played, Commander,"_  Joker whistled appreciatively over the comms once the elevator doors closed.

"Joker, do we have to have another conversation about spying on the crew? Me in particular?" John asked dryly.

" _Come on, Shepard. You spy on people and eavesdrop on their conversations more than anyone else on this ship,"_  Joker shot back unapologetically.

John snorted with laughter as the elevator doors opened in the cargo bay. Nodding to the two crew members huddled in the corner of the cargo bay over a datapd, he made his way over to Vega's workstation.

" _Do you want to know if he went into the Lounge, or not?"_  Joker asked, his tone cranky.

John was silent for a moment. "Shit. Yes, I do."

" _James is getting in the elevator right now,"_  Joker reported gleefully.  _"Garrus went in as soon as he left."_

"Yes," John crowed. "I wish I could hear what they were saying."

" _EDI disabled the comms in the Lounge,"_  Joker complained, but his tone was now playfully annoyed.  _"I'll bet he's being all 'I was Archangel. That makes me sexy,'_ " Joker mimicked Garrus's deep voice _. "'Oh, Garrus, you make me swoon,'"_ he squeaked, then made obnoxious kissing sounds.

"I think you should get out more, Joker," John teased. "I'm pretty sure this is the first sign of insanity."

" _Whatever Shepard,"_  Joker signed off the comms.

" _Jeff wished me to inform you that he,"_  EDI paused for a moment.  _"Flipped you the bird after he disconnected."_

"Thank you, EDI," John burst out laughing.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why hello. Long time! Sorry about the lengthy break between chapters (working 80 hour work weeks will kill the desire to do anything other than veg at the end of the work day, I've found...). I promise I won't be giving up on or abandoning this story! Thanks for sticking with me!

**2173**

" _I look ridiculous."_

_Jane stared at herself in the mirror with a frown. Her shoulder length hair was now a rich, dark brown. Immediately, Jane missed the red._

" _You don't look ridiculous," Bob rolled her eyes. "You look different. You said you wanted a change."_

_Jane thought that she looked a bit sickly now. The unnaturally dark hair framing her pale face didn't suit her at all._

" _Oh, come on Gadget! We're done basic training! We have two more days before we get split up for Infantry Training," Bob took Jane's hands and squeezed. "We_ did _it. Let's at least celebrate a little? Please?"_

_Jane looked at Bob's hopeful, eager eyes, and she shook her head, amused. "Fine, ok, where do you want to go?"_

" _Hernandez said something about going to that shit hole by the pharmacy. I guess they serve authentic Cuban food, and the music is good," Bob shrugged. "I just want to call Jethro and Lily first." Bob looked at Jane critically. "Go borrow something from my bag. All you ever wear are jeans and tee shirts. Dress up a little."_

_Jane rolled her eyes, but went into Bob's suitcase as the older girl fired up her omnitool to call Jethro and Lily._

_At the sound of Lily's excited squeal, Jane grinned. Bob was right. They_ should _be celebrating. She should be thrilled._

_They'd both done well in basic. Better than well, Jane impressing her instructors with her knowledge of and creativity with tech, where Bob had instantly established herself as the demolitions expert she was. Neither had expected that their time with the Reds would set them up for success with the Alliance._

_Jane laughed to herself at her memory of their first trip to the shooting range. Because of their positions with the Reds, Bob and Jane were proficient at cleaning, servicing and assembling firearms – not so much shooting them. They'd put in long hours at the range until both found their weaponry niche._

_Bob had taken to rifles with ease. Jane preferred lighter weight weapons like submachine guns and pistols, but she'd really shone in hand-to-hand combat. Jane took to hand-to-hand combat quickly, and soon gained the notice of her superiors._

_Her instructors quickly realized that they needed to push her harder. Thankfully, Jane'd never been afraid of a little hard work, and she'd pushed herself as hard as she could, putting in long hours in the gym to strengthen her body, sparring with as many fellow grunts and instructors as she could find._

_As Jane stepped out of her comfortable jeans she caught sight of her body in the mirror. It had changed in the twelve weeks they'd been in basic. Lean muscles now corded her body and banded her legs. Bruises, in varying shades littered her body. Never a curvaceous girl to begin with, what curves she'd possessed had all but melted away._

_Pulling on one of Bob's short skirts, Jane slipped her feet into the only pair of sandals she owned, and selected a green tank top she knew would suit her eyes. It wasn't a bad look, Jane admitted to herself._

"Gaga!"

_Jane looked over at the sound of Lily's cheerful voice calling out her pet name for her. She was only just learning how to speak, but couldn't say Gadget. Gaga however… Gaga, Lily could say. And she did – usually at the top of her lungs. Bob had turned her omnitool to face Jane, and Lily's cheerful cheeks and chocolate smeared mouth were grinning at her through the viewscreen._

" _Monster!" Jane gasped, rushing over and making kissing sounds at the omnitool's viewscreen. "I miss you!"_

"Gaga!"

_Lily disappeared suddenly, her face replaced by a harried looking Jethro._

"Ever since you left it is always 'Ma!' and 'Gaga!'" _Jethro groused._ "Never 'Dad.'"

" _Are you surprised?" Jane teased. "We're awesome."_

"Nice hair, Gadget," _Jethro replied cuttingly._ "You look like Morticia."

 _Jane glared at Bob accusatorily. "I_ told _you," she insisted. "I look ridiculous."_

"There're plenty of guys out there who go for the Morticia type," _Jethro said in a reassuring tone._ "I'm sure one of those freaks are around."

" _She looks_ great," _Bob snapped with a tone of finality. "The omnitool camera isn't that good and the lighting in here is terrible. Got it?"_

_Jane struggled to keep herself from laughing. Finally, she managed to get a serious look on her face, lips pursed together, and nodded. Jethro looked to be having a similar struggle on the other side of the omnitool._

" _I love you," Bob said softly, and Jane walked back to the suitcase, tidying the mess she'd made and giving Bob the illusion of privacy. After she shut down her omnitool, Bob meandered over and surveyed Jane with a critical eye._

" _I can work with that," Bob said a few moments, her voice a bit muffled and stuffy with the unshed tears she always fought down after talking to Lily. "Sit down, I'm putting some make-up on you."_

" _Make-up?" Jane asked flatly, crossing her arms over her chest. "You got me into a skirt, isn't that enough?"_

" _You want to look like less of a corpse?" Bob asked, putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows intimidatingly._

_Mutely, Jane shook her head and sat down on the bed, arms still crossed mutinously over her chest._

_Bob smiled at her happily, and grabbed some brushes from the bathroom._

" _Close your eyes," she instructed, a brush in one hand, eye shadow in the other._

_Obediently, Jane closed her eyes. She hated the feeling of having makeup applied – especially being jabbed in the eye with a pencil – but when Bob finished and instructed her to look at herself in the mirror, Jane's jaw dropped._

_The hair was still jarring and strange, but the results of the makeup were startling. Her eyes looked bigger, somehow, and softer. Her lips were fuller, and delicately coloured. The flush that filled her cheeks made her look healthy, instead of sickly pale. The dark hair suddenly looked… pretty. Striking._

_Different._

" _Feel better now?" Bob asked, amused._

_Jane tore her gaze away from the mirror. "I've never looked like this before."_

" _I know," Bob shook her head, bemused, and ushered Jane out the door. "Come on, let's go."_

_They hurried down the street. Thankfully, the bar wasn't far, and the night was warm, so neither girl minded the walk._

_The music in the bar was loud, and put an instant smile on Jane's face. The bar was humid and hot, and Jane was suddenly glad for the skirt and tank top she was wearing. It was packed – mostly with marines._

" _Hey! Garcia, over here!"_

_Bob looked over, spotting Hernandez as he yelled her name across the bar. "C'mon!" Bob called, pulling Jane by the hand._

_Jane greeted the marines who made it through basic with her. They would be reporting for Infantry Training together, and had already been through hell together. They were a team. A family._

" _Check it out," Hernandez pointed with his beer bottle over Jane's shoulder when they sat down. "Marines. On the officer track."_

" _What are they doing here?" Bob asked, waving to get the attention of the waitress._

" _CFT, I guess," Hernandez shrugged. "They look pretty badass."_

_Jane glanced over at the marine officers sitting at a table behind her. They looked hard and dangerous, despite their cheerful revelry._

_Her eyes met a pair of blue eyes, set in the face of a handsome marine with a head of close-cropped hair. Their eyes locked for a moment, and he gave her a cursory glance before looking away, disinterested. Jane turned back towards her table, her face flaming._

" _He's cute," Bob said quietly, glancing obviously at the marine Jane had just locked eyes with. Aware he was being watched, the blue-eyed marine lifted his gaze to meet Bob's. This time his gaze was interested, eyes tracing Bob's womanly curves, lips curving into an appreciative grin._

_Jane shook her head, unsettled for some reason. "I think he's more interested in you," she observed, her unease melting into amusement when the marine pushed back from the table and started making his way over to their table. "He's coming over," Jane warned Bob, now laughing, turning back to the table._

" _Hi, there."_

_Jane looked back over her shoulder, fighting to keep the grin off her face. Bob looked over at Jane, an uncomfortable look on her face._

" _Sir," Hernandez stood up. "We're marines, sir."_

" _You're not marines yet," the marine replied, his tone amused, before turning to face Bob. "Can I buy you a drink?"_

" _As long as you don't mind that you're buying a married mother a drink," Bob replied apologetically._

_The marine chuckled quietly. "Too bad," he shrugged, and gestured at the waitress to come to their table. "Next round for this table – put it on my tab," he instructed. "Enjoy your night, grunts," he instructed, and turned to leave._

" _Wait!" Bob called. "Thank you – what's your name?"_

" _Corporal Shepard," the man replied. "Just assigned to Geiger."_

_Bob smiled. "I'm Roberta Garcia, I'm headed to Geiger for training."_

" _Nice to meet you, Garcia," Shepard replied. "I'm the new marksmanship instructor, so I will see you on the range." His eyes tightened slightly in the corners and he turned to go back to his table._

_Hernandez crowed loudly as Shepard returned to his friends, the group of marines he was sitting with ribbing him loudly about Bob. Hernandez chugged the rest of his beer down and grinned widely at the waitress. "Another Bud!"_

" _Should we be telling Jethro he has some competition?" Jane teased Bob quietly._

" _Shut up," she muttered back. "He's hot, and I haven't had sex since we left New York. A girl can look."_

_Jane laughed and ordered herself a beer. She glanced back at the marines again and found Shepard surveying their table again. Their eyes locked one more time, and Jane found she couldn't tear her eyes away from his._

_He stared back at her, the look in his eyes indecipherable, before finally turning away, a frown now decorating his brow._

_Deeply unsettled again, Jane turned back to the table, seeing that a pint of Bud now sat on the table in front of her. She took a deep swallow of beer, and tried to put the blue-eyed marine out of her mind._

**2186**

"What do you serve a quarian on vacation in Mexico?"

"I don't know, I give up."

"A Te-Keelah Sunrise!" James joked, handing Jane a shot of mescal.

"That's _terrible,"_ Jane replied, rolling her eyes. The pair clinked their shot glasses together and threw back the shots. Jane grimaced as the taste hit her tongue, burning the whole way down. "But this is much, much worse. You should buy some tequila. Some _good_ tequila." She pushed the shot glass away, shaking her head. "I'm not drinking with you anymore if you force me to drink that crap."

The pair was on either side of the bar in the Starboard Lounge. Jane was sitting, slumped to the side, on one of the stools, facing James. The big marine was leaning against the bar, half-full bottle of mescal in his hand and a cheerful grin on his face.

"Not my fault you're not sophisticated enough to appreciate the delicate tones and flavors of the delicious and bewitching mescal," James shot back.

"About as delicate and bewitching as an elcor," Jane scowled at him. "Heavy disdain: give me a beer to chase away the taste."

With a playful glare, James reached down under the bar and handed her a cold bottle.

"Maybe we can get a game of cards going," he suggested, taking another swallow of mescal appreciatively.

"Yeah, maybe," Jane replied quietly, looking intently at her bottle of beer.

She was feeling out of sorts. The mission had been successful. Grunt was going to survive. Everyone made it out alive. _Including_ a rachni queen. Things were cleared up between her and John.

Leaving only the Garrus issue. He'd treated her so oddly the night before, strange aggression and unfamiliar hesitance – and then he was overly protective of her on the mission on Utukku. It was confusing.

Jane nibbled on her lower lip, and her thoughts turned to Chloe Michel, a cold feeling spreading through her.

The Swiss doctor was her friend. She'd been treating her wounds and keeping Jane alive for going on three years now. Jane knew the woman was attractive, and that Dr. Michel enjoyed the company of all kinds of aliens. In the time Jane had known her she'd dated an asari, two turians and a quarian marine.

If Garrus was really interested in her, if he chose her, Jane would step aside. She narrowed her eyes at the bottle of beer in her hands. But, that didn't mean Jane wasn't going to fight for him.

At the thought of going to see the turian, however, Jane's gut twisted with nerves.

How lame would it sound if she marched into the Main Battery and announced: _Hey Garrus, I like you. Wanna go steady?_

Sudden anxiety flooded her. Maybe it would be that easy? There was something between the two of them, but Jane wasn't sure that she understood turians well enough to interpret his feelings towards her.

Despite the reading she'd done over the last few weeks about turians, she hadn't bothered researching their courtship or dating rituals. Mostly Jane had been interested in the mechanics of turian sex, desperately hopeful they'd be compatible. Once she'd learned that their respective bits would fit together just fine, Jane's anxiety had disappeared, and she'd stopped researching. As long as Tab A fit into Slot B she was sure they'd figure it out just fine on their own.

But what if his treatment of her wasn't romantic in nature? What if he only saw her as a friend, as his best friend's younger sister?

"Hey, Lola, you ok? Went quiet on me all of the sudden," James asked, his speech slurring slightly.

Jane focused on the young marine in front of her.

Something was up with James, too. He was cagey, unsettled, and he'd been pounding back the mescal like it was going out of style from the moment Dr. Michel cleared the two of them after combat. As soon as they'd walked out of the medbay, he'd asked if she wanted to drink with him.

While Jane almost never turned down alcohol, but she said yes because she didn't think the marine should be alone.

"Yeah, fine," Jane waved off his concern, sipping her beer.

"Bull," he accused, laughing.

" _Excuse me, Lieutenant Vega?"_ EDI interrupted. _"Commander Shepard has requested your presence in the cargo bay."_

"Now?" James blurted out comically.

" _Yes, Lieutenant._ Right _now,"_ EDI replied.

James's eyes widened in horror. "Shit, I've had a lot of mescal," he said in alarm, looking to Jane for help.

"You aren't on duty, so don't worry about it, but get down there anyways," Jane told him, rolling her eyes in amusement. She waved and took another sip of beer as he made his way out the door. "See you later, Jimmy."

At the sound of the doors hissing shut, Jane slumped once again against the bar, picking absently at the label on her beer. When the doors hissed open again, Jane sighed despondently, propping her head on her hand. She hoped desperately that whoever just walked in would take the hint and leave her alone.

"Mind if I join you?"

The deep, dual-toned voice washed over her like a balm, but her nerves roared back to life.

"Garrus," she greeted. "You are always welcome," she said softly, her heart hammering in her chest, and gestured at the stool next to her.

His mandibles flared cheerfully. Garrus moved behind the bar, ducking quickly out of sight. He emerged moments later with his stash of turian brandy in hand. Pouring himself a liberal glass, Garrus settled in beside her.

"These are surprisingly comfortable stools for turians to sit on," Garrus observed awkwardly.

"I've never thought about turian ergonomics before," Jane said absently, sipping at her beer.

He shrugged. "Our furniture is a bit more angular and squat," he shrugged. "We manage to get by in a largely asari dominated furniture industry with only occasional back and leg pain."

She snorted, and fell into silence. Chewing on her lip, Jane started to gather her courage. Taking a deep breath, Jane opened her mouth, and started to speak.

"Garrus, I've been thinking, and – "

"Jane, I've been meaning to – "

Jane and Garrus's gazes met, and they both laughed, Jane blushing slightly.

"I'm sorry. Please, you go ahead," Jane offered.

Garrus looked back at the glass of brandy in his hand – he wasn't wearing his gloves, Jane noted. His talons had been blunted since the last time she'd seen him without them.

"Jane…" he laughed suddenly, an edge to his voice. "Spirits, this is harder than I thought it would be."

Jane's heart stuttered in her chest, and she felt misery descend upon her. He was going to tell her that he'd started something with Chloe.

"It's ok, Garrus," Jane interrupted. "I know, and it's ok."

He looked at her, confused. "You know?"

She nodded, and turned back to her beer. "Chloe is lucky to have you."

Stunned silence greeted her words, and Jane, without turning her head, moved her eyes to look at him. He was staring at her with an expression she couldn't read, mandible slack against his cheeks.

"You think there's something between Chloe and I?" He finally managed to ask.

"It's ok, Garrus," Jane pasted a false smile on her face, and turned to face the turian. "Really. She's a wonderful woman."

Suddenly, Garrus laughed loudly. She stared at him in surprise as his laughter fell from him in dual-toned peals. The longer he laughed the more annoyed she got.

"Look, just forget it," Jane pushed herself away from the bar, leaving her beer behind and started stalking towards the door of the lounge.

Garrus fell silent instantly, and an iron grip landed on her arm. Forcefully, the turian turned her to face him, his gaze inscrutable once again.

"There is _nothing_ between Chloe and I," Garrus stressed, looking at her with an intense gaze that traveled down her body and back up again. "Nothing."

Her eyes wide, Jane stared up at him. He towered over her, his electric blue gaze turning heated, the grip on her arms tightening, then gentling as he brought both hands up to frame her face.

"Nothing," he repeated softly, and gently pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes drifting shut. The gesture was so solemn, so tender, Jane felt a rush of affection… and no small measure of arousal.

Her eyes stayed open, wide on Garrus's face. He looked peaceful, content and utterly at ease. Jane's lips spread into a soft smile as she gazed up at him.

Garrus opened his eyes, meeting hers. Shifting, Jane raised up on her tip-toes and pressed her lips to his mouth. He stiffened, startled, but only for a moment, before relaxing into the kiss, and wrapping his arms around her.

It was a little awkward at first, Jane admitted to herself, but the awkwardness soon faded away as the two grew comfortable with human style kissing. His mouth plates were hard against her soft lips, but once she slipped her tongue inside his mouth to touch his tongue teasingly, Garrus made a quiet, possessive sound and pulled her more tightly against his wide chest.

She let out a soft, breathy sigh when his tongue started caressing hers in response. Her sigh turned into a quiet moan when his narrow, flexible tongue moved into her mouth, while his hands moved up and down her arms, talons tickling her skin.

Jane let out another quiet moan, her arms lifting to his shoulders, then to his neck, fingers digging into the soft skin under his fringe. Garrus growled and hefted her up so that her strong legs were now wrapped around his slender waist and started biting and nibbling at her neck and oh god it was so strange and hot and Jane tightened her legs around his waist with a gasp –

They broke apart, panting, at pounding on the door. Jane stumbled back, her legs unsteady, one hand pressed to her now heaving chest.

" _Come on, the lounge is for everyone, open up!"_

Garrus looked at her, obviously embarrassed. "What do we do?"

"Sit down," Jane said in reply, pushing herself back onto her stool. He stood, staring at her, stunned.

"Sit down," she repeated, grinning at him when he jumped in surprise, and sat down on his stool. "EDI, open the door."

Jane sipped her beer, crossed her legs and looked at Garrus with feigned nonchalance as the door hissed open. "Tell me more about being a C-Sec officer," she asked. "Was it strange, going from the military to a police force?"

Garrus blinked. "No, not really," he replied in a strangled tone. The doors hissed open, admitting Donnelly, Daniels and Adams. "But then, my dad was in C-Sec for as long as I can remember."

"Did you always know you'd be a cop?"

Donnelly harrumphed. "Lounge hoggers," he accused in his thick brogue.

"Hey, I didn't lock the door," Jane lifted her hands. "Jimmy was the last one to leave the lounge – and he's hammered. Who knows why the door was locked."

He snorted. "Yeah, right. EDI? Who locked the doors?"

There was a pause. " _User error – I have no record of that door being locked,"_ EDI replied.

Jane sent the Scottish engineer a smug grin. "I guess we'll never know."

Adams laughed. "A mystery," he said cheerfully. "We're playing poker if you two want in."

Jane looked over at Garrus, who shrugged.

"You know, I'm just not in the mood for cards," she said quietly, and after draining the last of her beer, pushed off the edge of her stool. "Have fun," Jane called to the engineers as she made her way to the exit.

"Jane, wait," Garrus called awkwardly, jumping down off his stool, leaving his brandy behind.

"Not in the mood for cards, either?" Jane asked, grinning at him playfully as he followed her into the corridor.

"Not really," Garrus stepped closer, looking down at her intently.

"Uh… EDI, is Starboard Observation available?" Jane asked suddenly.

" _Currently Starboard Observation is unoccupied,"_ EDI replied.

"Shall we continue our conversation there?" Jane asked, sending Garrus a grin.

"Life Support and the battery are free, too," Garrus suggested mildly. "And we'd be less likely to be interrupted."

She paused, and turned back to face him. "I know," she replied slowly. "And as much as I want to lock my door and rip off your clothes – " she paused, looking him up and down. "I don't want to rush into this."

His head cocked to the side and he made an inquisitive trill.

"I know that we might not have that much time left," she continued, looking down, her eyes fixing somewhere on the fabric of his uniform. "But if we both make it through this, I don't want to have already fucked it up because I'm impatient. I know turians are a lot more casual about sex than humans tend to be, but – "

Garrus sighed, silencing her when he stroked his hand down her cheek. "Jane… Turians _are_ more casual about sex… when it is just about tension and stress release. We fuck like there's no tomorrow when there are no strings attached. No… Expectations. But… I want there to be strings between us."

Jane looked up at him, hopeful, but confused.

"Do you honestly think, given everything I've told you about my father, given my friendship with your brother, that I would pursue you for some meaningless fuck?" Garrus asked, incredulous.

"No, of course not," Jane snapped. "Don't be silly. I'm worried _I_ will do what I always do… jump into something too quickly, and then destroy it before it even has the chance to grow."

"Stop acting like you're the only person who could fuck this up," Garrus shot back. "I knew my mother was sick, but instead of going to be with her I packed everything up and moved to _Omega_ where I killed people. I've never been in a serious relationship with anyone else – ever. Turian, asari, nothing more than meaningless fucks on shore leave. I've destroyed everything I've been a part of – "

"Garrus," Jane said softly, putting her hand over his mouth. "Are we fighting about which of the two of us is going to ruin this first?"

He stared at her in shock, then laughed loudly, slipping his hands around her waist. "I don't even know what this is."

"Me neither," she admitted, settling into his embrace. "Let's just agree that this is a _this_ , and see where it goes?"

His blue eyes warmed, and he tightened his grip. "For now, maybe this can go to Life Support?" He rumbled before lowering his mouth to brush lightly against her lips.

They broke apart as the elevator doors opened, revealing John within. He was leaning back against the elevator wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"Jane," he greeted solemnly. "Garrus."

"John," Jane greeted, her cheeks flushing a bright red.

"Shepard," Garrus nodded at Jane's brother. He looked completely collected and relaxed, Jane noted jealously.

"How's it going?" John asked innocently.

Jane shot John a glare. "Fine. Just about to retire."

"That's probably for the best," John mused, almost to himself.

"Oh, why is that?" Jane replied, willing the heat in her face away.

"You're heading planetside for a mission tomorrow. 0600," John answered. "You too, Garrus."

Garrus nodded in assent. Jane's eyebrows raised. "When's the briefing?"

John hesitated. "No briefing. This mission is classified. Need to know basis."

"Understood," Garrus acknowledged.

The three stood there, Jane growing increasingly uncomfortable. John sent her a benign grin.

"Well, good night," he said, looked pointedly at Garrus.

"Oh, uh," Garrus stuttered. "Right. Good night." He paused, and looked at Jane for a long moment, before striding away towards the battery.

"Ass," Jane snapped at John once Garrus disappeared from view.

John laughed. "Oh, relax. 0600 is just over five hours away. Besides, you've never been tested for dextro-sensitivity, and I'm not benching one of my best ground squad members because she has an allergic reaction to her fuck buddy."

Jane stared at John, her jaw dropped. "I am not allergic – or even _sensitive_ – to dextro-aminos," she protested.

"It isn't on your file – "

"Oh, for pete's sake, John. I'm _not_ , ok? And even if I were, we weren't … not tonight, at least," the heat in Jane's cheeks flared up again. "This is _none_ of your business. As either my brother _or_ my commander."

"Actually, as your commander it is my business," he said smugly.

"Fuck plausible deniability, huh, John?"

"Oh, come on – he isn't Alliance, you aren't breaking any rules," John snorted, a playful look on his face. "But, look, I wanted to ask you something. I know I basically threw the two of you together, so can I still get away with threatening Garrus? You know, give him the old: 'I'll kill you if you hurt her," speech?"

Jane blinked at her brother for a moment, then shook her head, turning to walk to Life Support. She paused at the door, looking back at her brother who was still watching her with an amused look on his face.

"Don't you dare," she warned, the door to Life Support hissing open behind her.

"Come on, I completely missed out on that part of being your brother," John shrugged, and grinned. "And besides, I don't think he'll respect me as a man unless I say something."

Jane didn't reply, merely spinning on her heel and storming into Life Support.

"Nighty night, Janey!" John called after her, the laughter clear in his voice.

* * *

Yawning, Jane walked out of the elevator into the Cargo Bay. She'd fallen asleep quickly, and slept deeply, but had woken exhausted. Jane had popped a stim with her morning coffee, and was only now starting to feel the mind clearing effects of the stimulants paired with caffeine.

John, Victus and Garrus were standing in a tight huddle outside of the shuttle. The three men were speaking quietly, and fell silent as she drew near.

"Come see me when you return," Victus said to both John and Garrus before striding towards the elevator. Jane followed the Primarch with her eyes as he walked away. When her gaze returned to John and Garrus, she felt a small trickle of anxiety.

Garrus's back was towards her, but she could see the tension in his shoulders and spine. The look on John's face was ugly, jaw clenched.

"Janey," he greeted, voice tight, and gestured for her to get in the shuttle. "Let's go," he ordered Cortez, sitting on one of the benches in the back of the Kodiak.

They were silent as the shuttle took off, and Jane looked quickly between the two of them, trying to gauge their moods. Both were impossible to read.

"Will you tell me what's going on?" Jane asked quietly, her eyes darting between the two.

"Yeah," John sighed. "We're on a rescue mission. Downed turian vessel on Tuchanka."

"Turian? On Tuchanka?" Jane exclaimed. "What are they doing there?"

"It's classified," Garrus replied dryly.

"A turian ship crashed, it was ugly, and the survivors are now under siege by Reapers," John recapped. "And the CO is Primarch Victus's son," John moved into the cockpit and put his hand on Cortez's shoulder.

"The primarch's son?" Jane asked, surprised. "That doesn't sound good."

Garrus shook his head and made a quiet huffing sound.

"Try to raise him," John ordered Cortez.

"For a turian, what happened here … Well, let's just say that the turian code isn't forgiving," Garrus said quietly. "And that it's his son, it's bad for the primarch. Promoting family without merit can bite you in the ass. What's strange is that Primarch Victus knows that."

"You must know something that I don't, then," Jane said. "Why would a crashed ship be bad for the primarch, even if his son is the commanding officer?"

John and Garrus glanced at each other.

"Ok, fine, I get it," Jane rolled her eyes. "Classified, need-to-know, blah blah blah."

"Commander," Cortez interrupted. "I have to land well back from the main crash site."

Jane looked at the distance from the crash site on Cortez's panel, and winced. The crash site was a couple clicks away from the proposed landing site. "That the best you can do?" She asked, pulling on her recon hood.

"Yes ma'am," Cortez replied, nonplussed. "But so far the Reaper forces seem unaware of our presence. You might get the jump on them."

"That'll be a novel experience," Jane joked, loosening her sword in its scabbard and checking her SMG's heat sinks.

"Alright," John nodded. "Set her down." He turned to face Jane and Garrus. "Let's save this platoon."

* * *

The shuttle was silent on its return trip to the Normandy.

John was staring fixedly at the shuttle's metal flooring, his eyes dark and troubled.

"He redeemed himself, in the end," John finally said quietly, his tone resigned.

"Maybe. We're a tough bunch to please," Garrus replied.

Jane remained silent, her jaw clenched tightly. She hadn't removed her recon hood, not wanting John to see her red-rimmed eyes. After they'd rescued the turian platoon – what was left of it, at least – they'd returned to the ship long enough to be cleared by Chloe and restock. Twenty minutes after returning, Jane, Garrus and John had loaded back onto the shuttle to disarm a centuries old turian bomb.

A turian bomb. Jesus. No wonder krogan didn't trust other races. The bomb had been left on the planet as a failsafe, a kill switch.

When they'd landed they were greeted with wave upon wave of Cerberus troops trying to escape the planet's surface. They reunited with Tarquin at the bomb's coordinates, protecting him as he attempted in vain to disarm the bomb.

Jane shook her head slightly. When the primarch's son hadn't been able to disarm the bomb, he'd climbed to the top of the giant doomsday device and separated the firing mechanism from the bomb itself.

It worked, but at great cost: Tarquin Victus was dead.

Jane could see the dread on John's face. Delivering news of a family member killed in action was one of the most difficult tasks any commanding officer would have to perform. Their activity on Tuchanka wouldn't have gone unnoticed by the krogan, either, and Jane was certain that John was going to have a shit storm to deal with the moment they stepped off the shuttle.

"Jane, take off your fucking recon hood," John suddenly snapped.

She lifted her head to look at John, before shaking her head. "No."

"I wasn't giving you a choice, Lieutenant," he said in a hard tone.

Slowly, Jane removed her hood, refusing to meet his eyes. When she'd realized that Tarquin hadn't survived, she'd been instantly overwhelmed. She balled her fists in her lap, and stared angrily at the floor.

This war _sucked._ Tarquin Victus's loss was just the first of many, a harbinger to the death and destruction that lay ahead.

John was staring at her, his gaze trained on her face.

"Did you know him?" He finally asked.

Jane shook her head mutely.

After a long moment, John stood, and walked into the cockpit, the door hissing shut behind him. Moments later, Jane felt one of Garrus's hands touch one of the balled fists in her lap tentatively.

Wordlessly, Jane gripped his hand back and waited for the shuttle to land.


	16. Chapter 16

**2172**

" _John."_

_Hannah's voice was quiet. Tentative._

" _I wish I could change your mind."_

_John glanced over his shoulder at his mother and sent her a cold look._

" _You can't."_

_Something flickered in Hannah's eyes, and she looked at the bag on John's bed._

" _I know," she said softly. "Since you're determined to go through with this, I have something for you."_

" _I'm good," John replied shortly._

" _John…"_

" _I have to finish packing," he said, his voice flat._

" _I don't know why you sold this," Hannah continued. "Why you thought you couldn't ask me for the money you needed. Or what you used it for. But your father would have wanted you to have it regardless, so when Jeffries told me he saw you selling it on the Citadel, I bought it back."_

_Hesitantly, she stepped closer to John, and handed him the sniper rifle he hadn't noticed before. The sniper rifle John sold to pay for the private investigator looking for his sister._

_A sister no one could find. John had long since given up on his search for Janey. The prostitute who supposedly took Janey in was murdered, and his sister wasn't among the children Child Protective Services put into the system. The former owner of the diner, the woman who had placed the call to the hospital, was long dead, and no one seemed to know anything about a little red-headed girl who'd gone missing._

_He stared at the rifle, his eyes stinging with unshed tears._

" _I have to finish packing," he repeated, and turned back to his luggage._

_A datapad next to his bag contained a list of items he would need for basic training. The Einstein would be arriving at Arcturus Station in a few hours. From there, he would take a shuttle to Earth and enlist. Follow in his father's footsteps._

_Hannah was silent, but didn't move from her spot at his door, watching him place underwear, socks and other supplies in the duffel._

_John ignored her as he continued packing, following the list Hackett had given him. Once he placed the last item in the bag he paused, looking down at the contents, and sighed._

" _All done?" She asked._

_John grit his teeth and turned to face her. "Yep. Three hours until we reach Arcturus Station, and I can get the fuck off this ship."_

" _John, just because you are 18 now doesn't mean that you should use such ugly language," Hannah chastised. "Here. Please take the rifle?"_

_John turned to face her, and reached for the firearm. "I sold it to look for my sister," he said as he wrapped his hands around the padded stock and dull barrel, staring down at the rifle, strange emotions coursing through him._

_Shock crossed Hannah's features, her jaw dropping open unattractively. "What? John… What are you – "_

_John lifted his head and looked Hannah in the face. She looked terrified, and John felt a wave of fury._

" _I know," he hissed. "I know about Jane. I know she's alive. I know what you did."_

_All color drained from Hannah's face._

" _Oh, God," she whispered, crossing his room and sitting heavily in his desk chair. "How long? How long have you known?"_

" _It doesn't matter," he snarled. "All that matters is that I know. And now I never want to see you – ever again."_

_She stared at him in shock, arms wrapped tightly around her small frame. "John…"_

" _I don't want to hear it," he said, eyes narrowing. "There is no excuse, there is no…" His voice wavered, and John pressed his lips together tightly, struggling for control. "She's my_ sister. _I was supposed to take care of her."_

_Tears filled Hannah's eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks silently. She said nothing, just continued to stare at him with a pathetic, pleading expression._

" _You let me believe she was dead," John continued, his voice low, accusatory. "You let me believe my own sister – my flesh and blood – was dead."_

" _I'm sorry," Hannah whispered._

_John stared at her for a long moment, then grabbed his bag off the bed. "Sorry isn't good enough," he said, his voice ringing with finality, and moved towards the door._

_John paused before walking out, and looked back at his mother. "I never want to see you again," he said in a quiet, controlled voice. "From now on, I'm just as dead to you as my sister was to me."_

_The heartbreak and devastation was apparent on Hannah's face. John forced the guilt down, and marched out of the cabin. He didn't look back. He would never look back._

_From now on, John decided, no more looking back. From now on, John would move forward._

* * *

**2174**

" _Good job, Garcia," John complimented the small brunette. The pair were laying prone at the range, sniper rifles extending before them. The faint blue of John's Avenger was especially apparent in comparison with the brighter, fresher blue of Garcia's newer Avenger. Frank had been right. The Alliance sniper rifles weren't nearly as good a quality as the one he'd modded for his son. "You're improving."_

" _Thanks, sir," Garcia replied, sending him a tight grin. "I've been thinking about my weight, actually."_

_Amused, John pushed himself up off the ground. "I've been told that men shouldn't talk to women about their weight."_

" _I'm not a woman," Garcia replied, her tone amused. "I'm a marine."_

_John laughed. He liked this woman. She was smart, funny and creative. If only she weren't married and incredibly loyal to her wheelchair bound husband._

" _Go on," he invited._

_Garcia pushed herself up, and hefted the sniper rifle in her hands. "I'm too small for sniper rifles, really. I'm strong enough, but the kickback dislodges me. So what if I install some upgrades on my armor to make me heavier?"_

_He gave her an impressed look. "How so?"_

" _Gravimetrics," Garcia explained, activating her omnitool. "Gadget just sent me some specs on new tech that she's developing – "_

" _Let me see," he ordered. For some reason, Garcia's best friend Gadget rubbed him the wrong way. They'd only met twice, once at a bar and once right before she'd shipped off to Arcturus. Both times John hadn't said a single word to her, but somehow she unnerved him. She was brilliant with tech, however, and together she and Garcia came up with some frightening upgrades to weapons and armor._

_Obediently, Garcia sent the specs to John's omnitool. He scanned what Gadget had sent Garcia and whistled quietly._

" _Did she develop this by herself?"_

_Garcia stood up and nodded, brushing dust from her BDUs. "Yeah, Gadget's pretty brilliant."_

_The tech had the ability to lighten heavy armor or make it heavier using small, electrically generated, mass effect fields. Gravimetric suit enhancements, Gadget called them._

" _She should have gone to a private firm," he observed quietly. "She'd be making a killing."_

_Garcia grinned, and took the rifle to a weapons bench to disassemble and clean. "When Commander Anderson recruited us we didn't have many options," she explained. "He gave us a way out, and Gadget is nothing if not loyal to the people who have her back. She's never going to leave the Alliance now."_

" _You were recruited by Anderson?" John exclaimed. "_ David _Anderson? The first ever N7?"_

" _The one and the same," Garcia replied, nodding, taking out the gun oil and some soft, clean rags. "We didn't know about that then, though."_

_John's respect of Garcia went up dramatically. "You must have impressed him to get his attention like that."_

" _Wasn't me," Garcia explained, breaking the rifle down into its individual parts, wrapping the cloth around a rod and soaking the rag in oil. "He wanted Gadge, I just got swept up in the deal."_

_A grudging respect for the other woman washed over John and he nodded. "I see. Well. These specs look promising, and would help you with your sniping."_

_Garcia nodded at him, her eyes cheerful. "I thought so. She's coming to Geiger next week for war games, and she said she'd help me install these in my armor."_

_She continued cleaning her rifle._

" _She's coming for war games, huh?"_

" _Well, she needs to get more than just simulator combat experience," Garcia explained. "Hey, have you picked your team for war games, yet?"_

_John shook his head. "No, I have until tomorrow to put in my request."_

" _Well, she would be a fine addition to any team," Garcia shrugged. "You know. Just in case."_

_John didn't reply. "Maybe. I'll put her down as a possible alternate. Jane Gadget?"_

_Garcia laughed and shook her head. "Naw, Jane's last name is Singer. Gadget is just a nickname."_

_John felt like the ground dropped out from under him._

" _Jane Singer?" He whispered._

_No. She couldn't be his sister. It was impossible. Jane Singer was far too common of a name for it to mean anything._

_But somewhere, deep inside, John felt a glimmer of hope. Could it be her? Could this be the sister he'd so long, so desperately sought?_

_Hearing the sudden distress in John's voice, Garcia looked over at him, concerned. "Are you ok, sir?"_

_Distracted, John nodded, and walked away, heading straight for his office. When he arrived, he sat at his desk, nodding to the other instructors sitting at their desks, and pulled up the internal search engine._

_Private Jane Singer._

_Her dark hair was pulled back into a severe bun in the picture in her file. John closed his eyes and struggled to remember the little sister he hadn't seen in fifteen years. He remembered her red hair, her pale skin, and her green eyes. But he couldn't picture his sister as an adult. Her pictures gave him no clues._

_His eyes skimmed her file until he found the information he was looking for – date and place of birth. His face fell, hopes dashed, when his eyes landed on her birthday. His sister's birthday was March 12_ _th_ _, 2156, but this Jane Singer's birthday was February 20_ _th_ _, 2155. Of course, it couldn't be his sister. She was too young to enlist._

_He closed her file with a sigh. It wasn't her._

_Maybe it was time to let his dreams of finding his sister go._

**2186**

John sat alone in the Starboard Observatory, wringing his hands absently, the sounds of Victus's quiet, grieving keens running through his mind non-stop. A father should never have to outlive a son, even if the son died as a hero.

John had left the Primarch alone in the lounge to collect himself, and crossed to the Observatory to do much the same for himself.

"EDI," John said quietly.

" _Yes, Shepard?"_

"Would you send a request for an update on Kaidan to Huerta Memorial, please?" John asked quietly. Losing a soldier like Tarquin Victus had reminded him that he'd almost lost another valuable soldier in this battle against the Reapers, and he hadn't bothered to check on him once since the last time they'd been to the Citadel.

Kaidan had informed him that Udina had asked him to be the next human Spectre. John had to admit that the dark-haired biotic was the perfect fit for the role, with clearly defined views of what was right and wrong. His moral compass wouldn't steer him the wrong way.

" _Of course, Shepard,"_ EDI replied quietly.

The door to Starboard Observation opened, but John didn't turn to look at whoever came in.

"Shepard. Test verified. Results promising. Can synthesize for universal krogan immunity."

"Good. So you can put your knife away?"

John turned slowly to face Mordin and Wrex. The salarian was all but jumping from foot to foot, the krogan standing frighteningly still.

"The cure is ready?" John asked, hope coloring his tone.

"No," Mordin admitted, moving into the room, and standing before John. "Still need transmission vector. Cure useless unless given to entire species."

He sighed, and closed his eyes. "Come on, Mordin. You're usually full of ideas. You altered the genophage before. There must be a way."

At the mention of altering the genophage, a wave of guilt washed over Mordin's amphibious face. It cleared after a few moments as the cogs in Mordin's head obviously started turning.

"Of course. Always possibilities," Mordin mused quietly. "But time limited. Create new infection strain from scratch. Ground water? No, too slow. Voluntary inoculations risky. Population too scattered for airborne… unless…" Mordin's eyes widened, and he turned to Wrex. "The Shroud!"

"The Shroud?" John asked, looking between the krogan leader and salarian scientist.

"The Shroud," Mordin said, a smile on his face, and he fired up his omnitool. "Constant global dispersion of air particles. Created by salarians to repair atmosphere of Tuckanka." Mordin hesitated and looked at Wrex uncomfortably. "Also used by turians. Secretly dispersed genophage to end krogan rebellions."

John closed his eyes for a moment, then met Wrex's inscrutable gaze. "Sometimes I understand why the krogan want to shoot everyone in sight."

Wrex let out a quiet laugh, crossing his massively muscular arms over his chest.

"Yes, yes. Desperate times, but useful now," Mordin interjected. "Original genophage strain still in storage at Shroud facility. Can use _it_ as transmission vector. Use Shroud to blanket Tuchanka with cure."

"You clever little pyjak," Wrex said appreciatively. "That's our best shot right there."

Something dangerous suddenly sparked to life in John's chest. Hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, something would finally go right.

"Alright," he said finally. "Finish your preparations, be ready to go, Mordin."

The salarian sent John a faint smile. "Of course. Ready when you need me. Will be in medbay with Eve until then," he nodded at Wrex and walked out of the lounge.

Once the doors closed behind Mordin, Wrex turned to John and speared him with a deadly glare. "So. Shepard. You didn't think to tell me about the bomb on Tuchanka?"

John let out a long sigh. "Wrex, don't play games with me. You would have done the same thing in my place. And you would have done the same damned thing in the turians' place, too, so drop it. Victus's own son died to prevent that bomb from going off. The turians are making amends."

"Not enough to tell us about the bomb," Wrex muttered. "Cowards."

"Wrex," John said in a dangerous voice, standing up and taking a step towards the krogan warlord. "I love you like an older, uglier brother, but don't push me. We're curing the fucking genophage. A bomb no one – including Victus, until a few days ago – knew about has been disarmed safely. This fight isn't worth it."

Wrex considered John's words for a long moment, then nodded. "Fine. You made your point. We have stronger enemies to face."

" _Commander,"_ Traynor's soft lilt flooded the speakers in the Observatory. _"You and Wrex should come up to the War Room. We've made a… discovery."_

John met Wrex's eyes, and gestured for the krogan to precede him out of the room.

* * *

He should have known better than to hope, John admitted to himself, listening to Mordin explain about the reaper poisoning the krogan atmosphere through the Shroud.

"Primarch, we're going to need your help," John informed the turian. Victus had been in the War Room when John and Wrex arrived, and seemed none the worse for wear.

John knew that the older man had to be hurting. He knew enough about turians to realize that Victus was pushing his emotions aside in the face of great adversity, but still John was impressed by how composed the grieving turian seemed.

"That might be difficult," Victus mused. "Our losses on Palaven have been catastrophic."

"We're _doing_ this for Palaven," John almost snapped. "No one said this would be easy."

He could see the grudging acceptance on Victus's face. Hope. Damn it. Hope flared again.

"Let's move, pyjaks," Wrex grunted, striding towards the doors. "It's time to cure the genophage."

John moved to follow the krogan when Traynor's voice flooded the comms again.

" _Commander,"_ she informed him. _"Incoming message marked urgent. I've put it in the comm room."_

* * *

 

Mordin, Eve and Jane sat on one side of the shuttle, John, Garrus and Wrex on the other. John was quietly regarding the passengers in the shuttle, and thinking over the proposal the dalatrass had given him.

She had one hell of a lot of nerve. Sabotage the cure. Bitch. He'd told Mordin about the sabotage to the Shroud before they'd left the ship, and Mordin had actually laughed.

" _Think STG can stop me? Learned everything they know from me,"_ he'd said, a dangerous expression on his face.

"Wrex," Jane teased. "Are you sure you're ready for this after your… procedure?"

Eve chuckled quietly as Wrex glowered at John's sister.

"One more word and somebody gets tossed out of the shuttle," he muttered.

Garrus couldn't hold in the snort, Mordin's visage split into a wry grin.

"Now, I've ordered the clans to meet us at the Hollows. It's our sacred meeting ground," Wrex explained. "We'll land there and take an armored convoy against the reaper. This," he said, his voice grave, "will be the defining moment of krogan history."

Mordin snorted. "Krogan history filled with defining moments. Most bloody. Hope this one better."

Eve's steady gaze hadn't left John's face since the shuttle had taken off.

"Commander," she said softly. "You seem troubled."

The krogan shaman was right. He was troubled. Hope and despair were gunning for position in the forefront of his mind. He worried they wouldn't be able to take down the reaper. Worried the cure wouldn't work. Worried that once the cure was dispersed Wrex would go back on his word and let the galaxy burn around him.

But he also felt that they just couldn't fail. That everything was lining up to go _right._

" _Wrex, it's Wreave,"_ a krogan voice sounding frighteningly similar to Wrex's announced. _"The reapers are already at the Hollows. Come out with guns blazing."_

"Hold on," Cortex called from the cockpit. "We're going in."

The shuttle landing was violent, the Kodiak rocking back and forth in the turbulence. Once Cortez set down, Wrex opened the doors impatiently. A husk threw itself at the krogan warlord, but Wrex, without blinking an eye, shot the husk in the head with his Claymore. The tech-infused skull vanished in a black mist, the husk's body crumpling slowly to the ground.

It was almost graceful.

Wrex moved to reunite with the clans, leaving John, Jane and Garrus to do what they did best.

"Everyone pick your targets and keep an eye on your six," John ordered, leading them towards the Hollows. "Let's go!"

There were husks _everywhere._ The Hollows looked like an open-air cathedral with a raised stone dais in the middle of the round chamber. The clearing was surrounded by high walls littered with balconies on all sides, and huge stone staircases provided access from all four directions.

Garrus swapped out his sniper for his assault rifle.

"I hate close combat," he complained quietly.

"Then hang back and watch me work my magic!" Jane crowed, unsheathing her sword.

"He'd just watch your ass," John shot back. "Everyone ready?"

"Hooyah," Jane replied, disappearing from sight. He tracked her movements through the ripple of her tactical cloak, appearing behind a husk that she quickly cut in half, before spinning artfully, and stabbing a second husk through the stomach.

Her glittering sword cut through the cluster of husks she'd attacked, tightly controlled motions maiming and killing efficiently. Soon the husks surrounding her were falling to her blade, heads rolling away, a pool of black reaper blood spreading out around her.

"Pick up your jaw, Vakarian, and kill some fucking husks, would ya?" John snapped, shotgun in hand, when he noticed Garrus holding back and watching her fight appreciatively.

"She said to watch her work," he shrugged, grinning, then rushed down the stairs, shooting a husk sneaking up behind Jane in the middle of his forehead.

The battle was short – intense, but bloody. Husks swarmed them from all sides. John smashed in husk skulls between shooting them in the face. It was simple, uncomplicated killing. It felt great.

"Clear!" Jane whooped when it appeared that the waves of husks had stopped. She returned to John's side, and removed her recon hood. "God, that felt _awesome."_

John grinned at her, nodding. "I know what you mean."

Garrus looked at the two of them curiously. "You're both insane."

The siblings looked at each other and laughed.

"Probably, Garrus, probably," John agreed.

The sound of heavy footsteps on the stone drew their attention to the krogan clans arriving in the Hollows. Wrex, followed by a large group of krogan, walked down the stairs, covered in reaper blood.

"They'll sing battle songs about this one day," Wrex bellowed. "Reaper blood has finally soaked our soil!"

Krogan appeared from everywhere, until suddenly Jane, Garrus, and John were outnumbered twenty-to-one. The krogan warriors released lengthy bellows of celebration, and soon the Hollows were reverberating with the deep, dangerous sound of a krogan war cry.

Mordin stepped out of the crowd of krogan who had arrived with Wrex and walked towards Shepard.

"Female safe, Shepard," Mordin reported. "Vitals are strong."

"What's a salarian doin' here?"

A second group of krogan arrived from the other side of the Hollows, led by a huge krogan who looked nearly identical to Wrex.

"Nobody said anything about this," he finished off disdainfully, spitting in Mordin's direction.

"Multiple krogan," Mordin said quietly. "Problematic."

"He doesn't seem to have any problems with me," Garrus observed quietly, his tone sarcastic.

"Don't draw attention to yourself, hot stuff," Jane muttered back. "I'm sure the big, bad krogan will notice you soon enough. Mortal enemy and all that."

"Who're you?" John asked impatiently, shooting Jane a glare. They didn't have time for a power struggle. They had to get to the Shroud as quickly as possible.

"Urdnot Wreave," Jane introduced, surprising everyone in the Hollows. "Brood brother to – "

"Our _illustrious_ leader," Wreave interjected, narrowing his eyes at John's sister.

"Wreave and Wrex share the same mother," Jane expanded.

"And nothing else," Wrex grumbled. "How do you know about this, pyjak?"

"There was a bounty on Wreave's head a few years back," she explained.

"And my dear brother Wrex tried to claim it," Wreave growled.

"Can you blame me?" Wrex grinned. "You might be my brother by blood, but that is where it ends."

"And the bounty was two million credits," Jane said dryly.

"I'd consider turning in my sister for two million credits," Garrus quipped.

John sent the pair a warning look, and turned back to the drama unfolding before him.

"For which I am thankful," Wreave shot back at Wrex. "I remember what it means to be a _true_ krogan!"

Jane snorted. "What, you flay your enemies alive and drown them in a fountain of their own blood? This salarian is your greatest ally. He is here to cure the genophage."

"Jane," John warned in a low voice.

"His kind gave us the genophage in the first place," Wreave snarled, stalking towards Jane with a dangerous look on his face. "Why should we trust him?"

Wrex stepped in front of Wreave and head butted him forcefully. Wreave let out a loud grunt and staggered back as the surrounding krogan growled.

"Why should you trust him? Because I do!" Wrex bellowed. "And so will you, Wreave," he continued in a quieter, more dangerous voice.

Wreave stared at his brother for a long moment before pulling his shotgun out of its holster and pointing it at Wrex.

" _ENOUGH."_

John, who'd pulled his Eviscerator out the moment Wreave had made a move for his shotgun, spun on his heel to find the source of the strong, commanding voice.

To his surprise, Eve stood at the top of the stairs of the Hollow, regal, proud. She looked over the krogan standing before her imperiously before beginning to make her way down the stairs towards them, her head held high.

The krogan males fell silent and lowered their weapons, turning to face her respectfully.

"You can stay here," she said disdainfully. "Let old wounds fester. As the krogan have always done…" She strode through the krogan, who parted before her, and climbed to the top of the stone dias, turning back to face the krogan who stood before her.

"Or," she continued, her voice strong and passionate. "You can fight the enemy you were born to destroy… and win a new future for our children. I choose to fight."

Her eyes narrowed, and paused on the faces of each krogan in turn. "Who will join me?"

"I will," John replied, he voice ringing through the Hollows.

"And so will I," Wrex answered. "Now hold your heads high like true krogan. _There's a reaper that needs killing!"_

"Eve is one bad ass bitch in charge," Jane observed quietly.

"Yes," Mordin agreed. "Hope she survives."

The resounding war cry that followed Wrex's pronouncement was deafening, and John felt that treacherous emotion again.

Hope.

* * *

Fucking hope.

Every time he let himself hope, they suffered another damned set-back.

Garrus, Jane and John had been separated from the convoy heading to engage the reaper destroyer after the road to the Shroud facility had collapsed. The turian air support had been decimated and they'd called off their attack to save their diminishing numbers. Better still, John and his team were stuck underground.

"You know, I don't mind small spaces," Jane sighed as they headed deeper underground. "I don't mind crawling through the access tunnels and tubes in the Normandy. But caves? Caves I can do without."

Garrus laughed quietly. "Scared of more alien cave spiders?"

"Screw you," Jane replied without heat.

"Wrex, are you receiving this?" John said hopefully, ignoring his sister and best friend's banter. "Is everyone ok?"

" _Yeah, just scratches,"_ Wrex replied. _"Nothing the salarian can't patch up."_ There was a long pause. _"Wreave's truck made it out, too."_

"Bully for him," Jane muttered. She jumped down off a ledge, and clicked on her flashlight.

"The turians had to call off the air strike," John reported, following his sister off the ledge and deeper underground. "We'll need a new plan for dealing with the reaper."

" _First we'll have to find you,"_ Wrex answered back. _"Where did you end up?"_

John looked around, taking in the caves.

"Underground. We see ruins of some kind," John described.

" _Commander, that's the city of the ancients,"_ Eve interjected.

"How do we get out?"

" _No maps exist,"_ Eve replied. _"It's been abandoned for thousands of years."_

"Great," Garrus muttered behind him. "Shepard, you really know how to show a guy a good time."

"Are you hitting on my brother?" Jane shot back, nervous laughter evident in her voice.

" _You're a trailblazer, Shepard,"_ Wrex laughed. _"Get through there and we'll find a place to meet up."_

Suddenly the ground heaved and shook underneath their feet, causing John to stagger to his knees.

"What the hell was that?" Jane exclaimed, bracing herself against a wall.

"Who knows. Some kind of tremor," John muttered, his flashlight illuminating a giant statue of a krogan. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

As they pressed onwards, their flashlights gave them small insight into the lives of krogan before the salarians uplifted them. Jane gasped when she stumbled across a mural of krogan riding on the backs of some large animal.

"Look like those pictures of rhinos from school," John snorted.

"Wow," Jane breathed, lifting her omnitool to take a picture. "Liara would shit her pants if she could see this."

"I didn't know krogan knew how to paint," Garrus observed. "I wonder what would have happened if history had unfolded the way it was supposed to."

The ground shook violently once again, dust coming off the ceiling in waves.

"Do you think that's the reaper?" Jane asked, her voice tight and stressed.

"No, it's coming from below," Garrus observed. "Not above."

John looked back to see that Jane had frozen in place.

"Janey?" He asked, concerned, crossing to her side.

"From below," she whispered, then shook herself, lifting her head.

"You ok, Janey?" John pressed, putting a hand on her arm.

Jane nodded absently, distracted. "Yes. I'm fine," she replied woodenly. John didn't believe her for a single second. "Let's go."

John, casting several glances back at her, concerned, continued leading the way forward. Again, the ground shook beneath their feet; again, John staggered to his knees.

"There it is again," John grunted, pushing himself up. He glanced back at Jane, who'd also fallen to the ground. Garrus was helping her stand.

"It doesn't feel like a normal tremor," Garrus's sub-harmonics had taken on a faint note of fear and concern as well, John noted.

"Wrex," John pressed his fingers to his comm as he led Garrus and Jane forward. "Are you guys feeling these tremors?"

" _Not up here,"_ Wrex replied.

" _It could be something else, Commander,"_ Eve informed him. _"It is said that Kalros, the mother of all thresher maws, lives in this region,"_ she continued.

John let out a long sigh of relief. Thresher maws he could handle. He'd already killed hundreds of the fuckers.

" _Which is another reason to get your ass outta there, Shepard! Step on it!"_ Wrex added, and cut the comm.

John turned the corned, and came upon another mural. This one was of a thresher maw.

"Did…" Jane's voice was shaking slightly. "Did we just hear that correctly? Kalros, the _mother_ of all thresher maws?"

"When the krogan name a thresher maw you know you're in trouble," Garrus joked, the earlier tension in his voice now gone. Garrus had been a part of killing most of the thresher maws John had killed. "They don't think anyone is going to kill it."

"I… the _mother?_ Of all thresher maws? I… Holy shit," Jane's voice was thin and reedy with fear.

John glanced back at her, grinning. "What, are you afraid of thresher maws, Janey?"

Jane didn't reply, so John turned to face her.

"Jane," he said seriously. "I don't care if you hate alien cave spiders, or if you are terrified of thresher maws, but we have to book it or we're going to lose this war. So buck up, baby sister."

Jane didn't reply, but she nodded once with finality. Not for the first time, John found himself cursing the recon hood obscuring her face.

"Let's get out of here," John ordered, and led them further into the City of Ancients.

* * *

What a shitstorm.

That was all John could think as he ran as fast as he could towards the first hammer outside the Shroud facility. Not for the first time, he wondered about the absurdity of this day.

Using a thresher maw as a weapon. A _thresher maw._ For all that he'd told Jane that he didn't have time for her fears, he felt a frisson of unease at the idea of using Kalros to take down a reaper.

Fuck. If a thresher maw even _could_ take down a reaper.

But it was their only plan. Their only chance. So John ran, dodging the brutes that blocked his path, the reaper's main weapon destroying giant blocks of the City of the Ancient ruins.

" _Jane!"_

As always, their comms were left open. But John couldn't worry about the note of warning in Garrus's voice. Not now.

" _Got him! Garrus, stay back!"_

" _Move, Jane, move!"_

John, his heart thundering in his chest, breath loud in his ears, ran forward as fast as he possibly could, his legs pumping. He flew over the destroyed terrain, moving faster than the charging brutes behind him thanks to his Cerberus cybernetics.

Jane cried out in shock – pain – John wasn't sure, and Garrus roared in rage. Worry flooded him, but he forced it down. John only had one focus. One goal. Nothing would distract him.

The first hammer.

Small pieces of rock pierced his skin as a large stone block exploded when the reaper's weapon sought John's smaller, agile form. One of the reaper's legs smashed down in front of him, and John only managed to avoid being crushed by throwing himself to the side at the last second, rolling to his feet, and resuming his breakneck pace towards the hammer.

John could barely make it out in the dust and the debris flying about, the first of two tiny devices that would – hopefully – call Kalros to the Shroud. To kill the reaper.

Finally, after a last dash that took seconds, but felt like hours, John reached the first hammer. Following Eve's instructions, he quickly keyed in the activation sequence. Once he was certain the hammer activated, John spun back the way he'd come, moving with the same urgency to the second hammer.

One left to activate. One reaper and several brutes between him and it.

As John ran, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Jane and Garrus fighting the remaining brutes… He counted quickly. Four. Four brutes. They'd already killed four of the hulking beasts, and it looked like another was about to fall under Garrus's fire and Jane's blood coated sword.

But he didn't pause. He kept running.

Vaguely, he was aware of Jane jumping on the back of the flagging brute, stabbing her sword down into its skull. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the brute freeze, shudder, and start to fall. Jane managed to vault off its back and reach a safe distance before the brute finally crashed to the ground.

Vaguely, he was aware of the reaper, one leg rearing back to try to crush him again. John managing to dodge out of the way a second time, avoiding being crushed by inches. He could smell the stink of the monstrous machine it was so close, a faint burning like ozone and something that reminded him sickeningly of rotting meat. It was the most unnatural and alien thing he's ever smelled.

But John only had eyes for the second hammer. Through the destruction that surrounded him, his focus was on his end goal. He _had_ to make it.

He heard Jane scream with feral rage, the rapid sound of Garrus's Indra. The death cry of another brute. Explosions became muted, everything around him faded away, until it was just John and the second hammer.

He crashed into it at full speed, starting the activation sequence. He staggered back, sound rushing into his ears, deafening him.

Then, a hollow boom sounded. The hammer struck once. Twice. Three times.

Then the ground shook. The reaper issued its terrible sound.

Jane and Garrus were running towards him, blood dripping ominously off of Jane's sword. Garrus's blue armor was covered in black blood. The pair looked terrifying.

" _RUN!"_ He ordered Jane and Garrus. "Get back to the trucks, I'll take care of the cure!"

Jane surged forward, as though to follow him, but Garrus grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away as though she weighed nothing. He turned and ran as hard and fast as he could away from the reaper, pushing Jane ahead of him to make sure she followed John's orders.

John paused for only one moment, but it was long enough to see the ground explode outward. The explosion of soil and rocks was so violent, so big, it completely obscured anything that might hide inside. Then, the biggest thresher maw John had ever seen surged out of the ground and launched itself at the reaper.

The reaper activated its main weapon, trying to shoot Kalros, but the giant thresher maw was too fast. The weapon didn't even come close before she struck the reaper head on, forcing the machine back, away from the Shroud facility. The reaper's gun was jerked to the side, changing trajectory and passing so close to John he could feel the heat of the beam singing the hairs on the back of his neck.

As the reaper and Kalros battled, John scrambled over the rubble, struggling to reach the entrance to the Shroud facility, where Mordin would be waiting with the cure, ready to distribute it to the krogan people. When he finally reached the entrance, John couldn't help but turn back around to watch and see if their bat-shit crazy plan actually worked.

The reaper threw Kalros off as though she were nothing more than a worm. She struck the Shroud building forcefully, and sank back down underground. John watched, terrified she was fleeing from the fight.

But John should have known better. It was the thresher maw technique. She burrowed under the reaper, surging out of the ground behind the giant monster machine, latching on and pulling it into a death spiral.

The reaper was helpless to stop it, and was soon pulled underground in a heaving flurry of earth.

It didn't reappear.

* * *

Small, golden particles filled the air. They were beautiful.

His jaw clenched, an overwhelming sadness washed over him as John watched the cure spread from the Shroud facility into the atmosphere. Extending his hand to catch one, he watched as the slightly glowing particle disappeared into his glove.

John's eyes closed.

_Mordin._

That stupid, selfless, scattered, brilliant salarian. Sarificing himself to save the krogan. A race that up until a few weeks ago he'd staunchly defended infecting with the genophage in the first place. It was completely fucked up.

He shook his head, eyes burning.

Behind him the hum of the Makos, the crunch of their heavy tires on the Tuchanka soil, warned of their arrival. Jane, Garrus, Eve and Wrex would soon descend upon him, would want to talk about the cure. About Mordin.

" _Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."_

Damn the salarian for being right. No one else could have cured the genophage. No one else could have accounted for the STG sabotage of the Shroud. No one else could have guaranteed them the first fighting chance the galaxy had against the reapers.

Their heavy footsteps announced Wrex and Eve. Quieter steps followed. Jane. Garrus.

"Mordin?" Garrus asked hesitantly after a long moment.

Eve and Wrex walked forward silently, looking out over Tuchanka. Wrex lifted a giant hand to rest of Eve's shoulder.

John shook his head once. "Didn't make it. He… sacrificed himself to make sure the cure worked."

"Damn it," Garrus cursed quietly, the sudden grief evident in his subvocals.

Without another word, John turned and marched back into the Mako.

* * *

"John."

He looked up in surprise at his sister's voice. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs in the Loft, watching John with a concerned expression.

"I didn't hear you come in."

"You were pretty deep in thought," she said softly, sitting next to him on the couch. "I'm sorry about Mordin."

"He was a good friend," John sighed. "He…"

John's memory flashed to Tali. To the awkward conversation Mordin instigated about self-sterilization and avoiding oral contact. Heat flushed his cheeks briefly, then he shook his head and looked at his sister.

"He was a good friend," he repeated lamely, then fell silent.

"Sorry about freaking out over Kalros," Jane muttered when he didn't speak again.

"Have you ever seen a thresher maw before?" John asked, grateful for the change in subject.

Jane's eyes darkened slightly, and she nodded. "Yeah. And I lost three friends in that maw attack on Akuze," she laughed, but there was no humour in the sound. "I'm not exactly well equipped to take one on, either."

"Last time I went up against a thresher, I had a nuclear weapon at my disposal," John replied, reaching for her hand.

"Really?" Jane sent him a tight smile.

"Called the Cain. Heavy fucking gun, but damn did it pack a punch," John said. "I'm sorry about your friends."

"Thanks. Where are we headed now?" She asked, obviously changing the subject.

"Citadel," John answered, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "Aria wants to talk to me about Omega, Adams needs a new thermal pipe. Then we have to go to Noveria to secure a base out there."

"Noveria? Which hemisphere?" Jane asked, revulsion clear in her voice.

"North."

"Count me out, then," Jane laughed. "Fuck, Noveria is a frozen shithole this time of year. Crazy blizzards, ice storms, winter cyclones…"

"You and Garrus are fucking perfect for each other," John snickered. "Turians hate the cold."

A suddenly soft expression crossed Jane's face at the mention of the turian. "Yeah."

"Oh, you're done, aren't you?" John grinned widely.

Jane blushed faintly, the same soft expression still on her face. John stared at her for a long moment, then gasped.

"You've gone and fallen in love with him, haven't you?"

Jane's pale cheeks blushed a brighter red. "Shut up, I am not…" The redness disappeared from her cheeks as she paled with realization.

Her voice quieted, and she looked suddenly serious. "Well, fuck."

"Told you," John said triumphantly. "I know you better than you know yourself, sis."

She slumped back against the couch, a dazed look on her face. "John…"

He took her hand, squeezed. "It's going to be ok, Jane. Love is a good thing."

As Jane stared at their clasped hands, quiet and stunned, John's thoughts returned to Mordin. He'd been the one to help him realize the true depth of his feelings for Tali. Self-sterilization. He snorted, remembering how unpleasant his last shower before the Collector Base had been, scrubbing down with Mordin's specially formulated medicinal soap.

He'd been incredibly itchy for the entire mission on the Collector Base. But it had been worth it.

He'd have done anything to ensure that Tali was as safe as possible.

"I know how scary this is, Jane," John said, surprising himself.

She glanced over at him. "Yeah, falling in love right before the end of the galaxy, going into battle with him every other day… I'm sure you know exactly how scary this is."

John chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment.

"Jane, Tali wasn't just a favorite member of my ground squad," he admitted. "I mean, she was. Is. It wasn't until right before the suicide mission that I realized…"

Jane stared at him blankly for a long moment, before a sudden, blindingly happy smile graced her face. "Must be genetic," she mused, pulling him into an awkward, seated hug. "Both of us falling in love with dextros?"

He snorted. "Must be."

"So, where is she? Why isn't she on the ship?"

John's face fell. "I don't know. She's with the Flotilla, but I haven't heard from her since before my incarceration. She might not even be alive."

"Don't think like that, John," Jane stressed. "We'll find her. Bring her back to you."

Gratitude – and that fucking traitorous emotion, hope – filled him at his sister's words. Maybe they would find Tali. Maybe the quarians would appear and he could rush to the Flotilla, bring her back to him.

But for now, the Citadel was waiting.


End file.
